Will the Italians’ home strength prevail?
Only 16 teams remain with any hope of winning the UEFA Europa League. We take a look ahead to an Italian-Spanish clash. AS Roma host Real Sociedad and the bookmakers’ predictions predict a strong chance of a home win. Will the Wolves put themselves in a good position for the second leg in a week’s time when they head to San Sebastian?
The Giallorossi already secured progress at home in the last round. Against Salzburg, the Magic had to turn around a deficit to advance to the last 16. But the home strength of the yellow-reds can be relied on at the moment.
The capital also collected a lot of points in the championship in front of their own fans, which led to a good position in the table before they now enter the final third of the season.
The visitors from the Basque Country are currently in a bit of a performance slump. They have only managed one win in their last seven competitive matches. Nevertheless, the white-blue team is still in a very good position in the La Liga table. But now the difficult away game in Rome is coming up. The last results make us a little worried whether the Txuri-Urdin will pass this test. We will be smarter on Thursday from 18:45 when the whistle blows at the Stadio Olimpico.
AS Roma – Statistics & current form
The Romans finished sixth in Serie A last season. This year, however, it may well be a bit more if the fans have their way. In particular, the yellow-reds would like to finish ahead of city rivals Lazio, something they failed to do last season.
After 25 match days, the Wolves are doing well. In the meantime, they have celebrated 14 victories and five draws. The total of 47 points currently means fourth place in the standings. The leaders from Naples are ahead of all rivals, but the gap to Inter Milan in second place is just three points. There is already a small gap of five points between them and sixth place.
Rome with strong defence
Rome can rely on their defence in particular. The Giallorossi have only conceded 21 goals this season. This is the third-best figure in Serie A. It is therefore not all that difficult that the goals scored by the attack are rather modest. The 32 goals scored are just eighth in this ranking. The best scorer is Paulo Dybala with eight goals.
Home strength should be the basis for advancing
Especially in their own stadium, things have gone like clockwork in recent weeks. Of the last ten competitive games at home, only the cup duel against Cremonese was lost 1:2. Otherwise, nine victories were recorded. The fact that La Magica are not in a better position in the table is due to their three-game winless streak away from home.
Jose Mourinho’s team finished second in the qualifying group behind Betis Sevilla, so the home side had to play in the intermediate round. The three-time Italian champions had to face RB Salzburg, a team not to be underestimated. In Austria, the yellow-reds suffered a 1-0 defeat. A 2-0 win in the second leg put them through to the last 16.
Here, the basis for advancing will be laid next Thursday. In the match between AS Roma and Real Sociedad, odds of 2.15 are paid for bets on the hosts. The dress rehearsal on Sunday evening succeeded when Juventus Turin were brought to their knees with 1-0.
Last matches played by AS Roma:
Serie A
06/03/2023 – AS Roma 1 – 0 Juventus FC
01/03/2023 – Cremonese 2 – 1 AS Roma
Europa League Final Stage
24/02/2023 – AS Roma 2 – 0 RB Salzburg
Serie A
20/02/2023 – AS Roma 1 – 0 Verona
Europa League Final Stage
17/02/2023 – RB Salzburg 1 – 0 AS Roma
Real Sociedad – Statistics & current form
After a strong last season, Real Sociedad San Sebastian finished in an excellent sixth place in the table and qualified for UEFA Europa League. This season, the Basques are doing even better and see their chance to punch their ticket to the lucrative Champions League.
After 24 matches, head coach Imanol Alguacil’s men are in a very good fourth place in the table. 13 wins and five draws lead to a total of 44 points. This means that the gap to the top duo of Barcelona and Madrid has grown considerably, but Atletico at least are still within striking distance. The teams of Betis Sevilla and FC Villarreal are breathing down the necks of the white-blue team.
San Sebastian are in a slump of form
However, the Txuri-Urdinak have been marching through a dip in form in recent weeks. From the last seven competitive games, only a 3-2 win at Espanyol Barcelona was celebrated. Otherwise, Real Sociedad have had to settle for three draws and two defeats. They were also eliminated from the Copa del Rey with a narrow 1-0 defeat at FC Barcelona.
The strength of the white-blue team lies in its stable defence. Keeper Alex Remiro has only conceded 23 goals. The fourth best value in the Spanish La Liga. We see the problems in the offensive area. The Basques only scored 32 times. The best scorer is the Norwegian Alexander Sörloth with nine goals.
Strong away record of Real Sociedad
Now it’s time to travel to the Italian capital for a tough away match. San Sebastian are one of the best away teams in the league this season. Eight of twelve games on the opponent’s pitch have been won. Nevertheless, the visitors will initially be the outsiders in the upcoming clash. In the match AS Roma vs. Real Sociedad odds of 3.60 are paid for bets on the Spaniards.
In the Europa League group stages, the Alguacil team faced Manchester United, Sheriff Tiraspol and Nicosia. Equal on points, but with the better goal difference by one goal, the Basques came out on top of the group ahead of ManU and thus jumped straight into the last 16.
Last matches of Real Sociedad:
La Liga
04/03/2023 – Real Sociedad 0 – 0 Cadiz
26/02/2023 – Valencia 1 – 0 Real Sociedad
18/02/2023 – Real Sociedad 1 – 1 Celta Vigo
14/02/2023 – Espanyol 2 – 3 Real Sociedad
06/02/2023 – Real Sociedad 0 – 1 Real Valladolid
AS Roma – Real Sociedad Direct comparison / H2H record
For the first time, these two teams will cross blades on Thursday. Despite numerous appearances in international competitions, Wolves and San Sebastian have successfully avoided each other so far. But that changes this week. Between AS Roma and Real Sociedad, the bookmakers’ predictions see the advantage on the side of the hosts in the first leg, with odds of 2.15 at the top.
AS Roma – Real Sociedad betting tips
The tension in the international competitions is slowly increasing. Only sixteen teams are still in the fight for the Europa League title. Our two protagonists are not necessarily among the top favourites, but at least we think the Giallorossi have an outside chance. But first they have to clear the hurdle of San Sebastian.
The hosts are relying on their home strength. They have won nine of their last ten games at home and will be looking to lay the foundations for progress at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday. The visitors have rarely been convincing in recent weeks, but the prospect of reaching the quarter-finals will certainly provide extra motivation.
After a look at the last results, we have to favour Roma at least in this first leg. The success over the old lady Juve last Sunday shows that the form fits. That’s why we side with the Italians and recommend betting on the Mourinho team at odds of 2.15 at the top in the match between AS Roma and Real Sociedad.
Both teams have their strength in the defensive area, so the game could become a tough event. Alternatively, betting on a duel with a maximum of two goals between AS Roma and Real Sociedad at odds of 1.57 is therefore a good choice.
