Will Betis advance to the knockout rounds?
Betis Sevilla against AS Roma, that almost sounds like Champions League. The names of the coaches Manuel Pellegrini and Jose Mourinho also sound like the big wide football world. The bottom line, however, is that this is a Europa League group match with a lot at stake, especially for the Italians, if they don’t want to bow out of this competition early.
For the Andalusians, on the other hand, the start to the Europa League could not have gone better. With nine points, Betis Sevilla are leading the standings. The leap into the knockout round is currently only a small one. With a win on Thursday, Manuel Pellegrini’s team could already advance. Ludogorez Rasgrad are currently in second place with four points.
They are followed by Roma, who have so far fallen well short of expectations with three points. HJK Helsinki are the outsiders in this pool anyway and currently have only one draw to their name.
The Spaniards have already won the first leg in the eternal city last week with 2:1. If the Romans suffer another defeat, then they could possibly only play for the title defence in the Conference League after the winter break. Our tendency ahead of this second leg between Betis Sevilla and AS Roma is to bet on a win for the home side.
Betis Sevilla – Statistics & current form
Betis Sevilla are one of the up-and-coming clubs in the Spanish La Liga. Since Manuel Pellegrini has been at the helm, the market value of the squad has almost tripled. This is not only noticeable on paper, but also in the results of the Andalusians. In the Europa League, advancing should only be a formality.
On course for the Champions League
Things are also going well in La Liga so far. Barcelona and Real Madrid should be out of reach, but behind them Betis are fighting for the Champions League places. The Andalusians are currently fifth and have 16 points after eight matchdays. In the past seven games, there has only been one defeat, but five victories.
Although the opponent is not a blank slate, we stick to targeting odds on a home win between Betis Sevilla and AS Roma. Last weekend, Manuel Pellegrini’s team dropped a point at Real Valladolid. However, the 0-0 draw was also due to the course of the game, as after just over half an hour German Pezzella was sent off for an emergency foul. With the team outnumbered, the draw must be considered a point gained.
The red card in La Liga has no significance for the Europa League. German Pezzella could therefore play. This does not apply to Juanmi, who will be out for a longer period of time after tearing a ligament. It is also possible that Nabil Fekir will not be fit to play on Thursday. Martin Montoya is not eligible to play in the Europa League. There will probably be the usual change in goal, so Claudio Bravo will probably be in charge.
Predicted line-up of Betis Sevilla:
Bravo – Moreno, Ruiz, Pezzella, Sabaly – Rodriguez, Carvalho – Sanchez, Canales, Luiz Henrique – Iglesias – Coach: Pellegrini
Last matches played by Betis Sevilla:
La Liga
09/10/2022 – Real Valladolid 0 – 0 Real Betis
Europa League Grp. C
07/10/2022 – AS Roma 1 – 2 Real Betis
La Liga
02/10/2022 – Celta Vigo 1 – 0 Real Betis
18/09/2022 – Real Betis 2 – 1 Girona
Europa League Grp. C
16/09/2022 – Real Betis 3 – 2 PFK Ludogorez Rasgrad
AS Roma – Statistics & current form
After winning the Conference League, Jose Mourinho is the only coach to have triumphed in all three European competitions. This season, the Italians preferred to compete for the title in the Europa League, but currently the Romans are in big trouble. They will need at least a point in Sevilla on Thursday to avoid falling well behind.
After a victory comes a defeat
The form is capable of improvement. In the last five games there was always alternately a win and a defeat. On Thursday it would be the turn of another defeat. Roma, however, is a club where anything is possible. In Serie A, Jose Mourinho’s team is currently in fifth place. Here, too, anything is probably possible for the Romans, from the title to missing out on the international places.
However, we think it will be difficult to score in Andalusia on Thursday and that is why we are also predicting a Spanish win between Betis Sevilla and AS Roma. After all, there was a win for the Italians in Serie A last weekend. Chris Smalling and Paulo Dybala scored in the 2-1 home win against Lecce.
The Argentinian injured his penalty goal and is likely to miss the World Cup with a muscle injury. Nicolo Zaniolo, the second suspended striker, is missing due to a red card. Zeki Celik, Rick Karsdorp, Ebrima Darboe and Georginio Wijnaldum are also missing through injury. Jose Mourinho will have to come up with something to send a strong team onto the field.
Projected line-up of AS Roma:
Patricio – Smalling, Roger Ibanez, Mancini – Cristante, Pellegrini, Vina, Zalewski – Volpato, Abraham – Belotti – Coach: Mourinho
Last matches played by AS Roma:
Serie A
10/10/2022 – AS Roma 2 – 1 Lecce
Europa League Grp. C
07/10/2022 – AS Roma 1 – 2 Real Betis
Serie A
01/10/2022 – Inter Milan 1 – 2 AS Roma
18/09/2022 – AS Roma 0 – 1 Atalanta Bergamo
Europa League Grp. C
16/09/2022 – AS Roma 3 – 0 HJK
Betis Sevilla – AS Roma Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
So far, the teams of Betis Sevilla and AS Roma have faced each other in two matches. In 2021, both clubs played a test match against each other and last week there was the first leg in the current group stage of the Europa League. The direct comparison leaves no questions unanswered, as the Spaniards won both games.
While there was a clear 5:2 victory in the friendly match a year ago, last week’s match at the Olympic Stadium in Rome was a tight affair. Paulo Dybala gave Roma the lead with a penalty. Before the break, Guido Rodriguez equalised to make it 1-1. Luiz Henrique scored the 2-1 winner for the Andalusians shortly before the end. In injury time, Nicolo Zaniolo was sent off for the Roman side.
Betis Sevilla – AS Roma Tip
Betis Sevilla will not want to miss the chance to advance to the knockout round with a win. Especially with the lush programme until the World Cup, it would be worth its weight in gold if the last two games in this group stage could be regarded as test matches and the regulars could be spared. The Andalusians are in good form, so a home win seems possible.
Roma, on the other hand, are currently having some problems, especially in the Europa League. All in all, every win has been followed by a defeat. Last weekend there was a win, so a defeat would be the logical continuation of the series.
Now Roma is also anything but a walk-in and therefore the addition of Draw-No-Bet could be a proven way to reduce the risk of his bet a little. However, because the Italians have to replace some regular players, we stick to our original assessment and play the betting odds on a three-goal win for the Andalusians in the Betis Sevilla vs. AS Roma
