Roma vs Athletic Club Prediction: Deja Vu in Rome

Roma host Athletic Club at Stadio Olimpico for the first leg of their Uefa Europa League round of 16 tie on Thursday (20:00, TNT Sports1), and the two teams are familiar with one another. They met in this very stadium on the opening match day of the league phase in September, with the game ending 1-1.

The visitors finished second in the standings so were automatically secured a place in this round, while Roma had to get past Porto in the play-off round. Check out my Roma vs Athletic Club predictions below, where you will also find the latest team news and match odds.

Roma vs Athletic Club Odds

Roma were victorious in four of their five appearances at home in the Europa League to date, and they are 13/10, which has an implied probability of 43.5%, to win on Thursday.

Athletic Club won six of their eight league phase clashes but only two of them came on away territory. They are the 9/4 favourites to take the advantage back to Spain.

The two teams drew 1-1 when they met on September 26. This was Athletic Club's only stalemate, while the Giallorossi shared the spoils in an additional two matches, which came away from home. The draw can be backed at 23/10 here, while the 1-1 scoreline is marketed at an attractive 11/2 (15.4%).

Inaki Williams has scored four goals in the Europa League for Athletic Club and he is 100/30 to strike anytime at Stadio Olimpico.

Football Odds

Team News

Artem Dovbyk returned to the Roma squad at the weekend following a brief spell on the sidelines and he was the match-winner in their Serie A triumph over Como. Boss Claudio Ranieri could restore the Ukrainian to the starting lineup, probably at the expense of Eldor Shomurodov.

It remains to be seen if Dovbyk will be partnered by Paulo Dybala, as the ageing star may be given a rest. Ranieri may also be wary that the Argentine is one booking away from being suspended for the second leg, as are a few other the Giallorossi players including Tommaso Baldanzi.

Leandro Paredes has reached the threshold for a one-match ban and he will be unavailable on Thursday. As such, we will likely see Bryan Cristante start in the middle of the park.

As Athletic Club's leading marksman in this competition, Inaki Williams is set to lead the line and should be joined in attack by his brother Nico Williams. That leaves another spot up for grabs, which will be contested by Maroan Sannadi and Gorka Guruzeta.

Lehoiak have been given a boost as Oihan Sancet has been declared fit to travel to the Italian capital, but they remain without Alvaro Djalo due to an ongoing ankle problem.

Draw @ 23/10

Over the course of the league phase it was clear that the visitors were the stronger team as they finished second in the standings. However, Roma were one of two teams to deny them a victory, and the Lupi themselves are unbeaten in this competition at Stadio Olimpico.

This factor has me thinking the Italian side can stand firm against Athletic Club once again, but I'm not convinced they can secure a lead to take to Bilbao. The visitors have been excellent in the Europa League and they are favoured to win here over Roma. But again, I'm not confident they can come away with a win either.

The draw seems the most realistic selection because of Roma's strength at home but also because of the attacking threat that Zuri-Gorriak will bring. For this first leg at least, I think we will see them cancel each other out for the second time this season.

Both teams to score @ 10/11

Following on from that last point, I do think we will be treated to an entertaining draw, and hopefully with more goals than the 1-1 they delivered back in September. BTTS was a winning selection in five of Roma's 10 outings in the Europa League so far, including their most recent home match against Porto.

The Giallorossi's last fixture at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday also produced goals at both ends against Como, so I think this bode's well for Thursday's clash.

For Athletic Club, BTTS was a successful bet in three of their four away games in the league phase, so I think this market offers good value for their reunion with Roma.

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