UEFA Europa League: Real Betis vs AS Roma – Match Preview

Another victory here would see the Green and Whites seal progression to the knockout stages for a second consecutive season and given their impressive 100% win rate from the opening five home competitive matches they’ve played this season, home fans might expect no less.

Manuel Pellegrini’s men have also kept four clean sheets in their last six outings at the Estadio Benito Villamarín (W6) and remain unbeaten in their three historical European home clashes with Italian opposition (W2, D1).

In fact, Betis haven’t lost any of their last ten home UEL group stage matches (W6, D4), but they’ll be eager for a reaction after Sunday’s goalless draw with Valladolid, the second consecutive La Liga match in which they failed to score.

Two defeats in the opening three UEL matches (W1) hasn’t been the start Roma would have hoped for, particularly as it’s the first time the Giallorossi have suffered two group stage defeats at this stage of the competition.

Needing results fast, injuries to Paulo Dybala and Nicolò Zaniolo in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Lecce was the last thing Roma manager José Mourinho would have wanted, as the inaugural winners of the UEFA Europa Conference League look to progress from the UEL group stages for a fifth consecutive time.

It’s not all doom and gloom however, as Roma have impressively found the net in 22 consecutive away games in Europe, and they’ve won their two most recent SA away outings, scoring before the break in both. However, the visitors will need to break an unwanted duck to triumph here as the last time they won 3+ competitive away matches in a row was during the summer of 2020!