Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen predictions: Roma ready to frustrate unbeaten visitors
- Roma have lost just two of their last 22 home matches
- Bayer Leverkusen have drawn their last three games in all competitions
- Recommended bet: Back Roma or tie and over 1.5 goals
For the second straight season, Roma will face Bayer Leverkusen for a place in the Europa League final, with the first leg set to take place on Thursday.
Xabi Alonso's side will be looking to enact revenge on the Italian outfit after being dumped out at this stage last year, but they will have to be at their brilliant best to take a lead back to Germany as Daniele De Rossi's men are tough to beat at the Stadio Olimpico.
Team news
Zeki Celik is suspended following his red card against AC Milan in the last round but Bryan Cristante is back for Roma after missing that game due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Romelu Lukaku, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Chris Smalling are all expected to be fit enough to feature for the hosts, with all three in line to start.
Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface were rested at the weekend while Granit Xhaka was suspended, but all three should return to Leverkusen's starting XI for this clash.
Forwards Adam Hlozek and Borja Iglesias are Bayer's only injury doubts for their trip to Rome.
The stats
- Roma have lost just two of their last 22 home matches
- Bayer Leverkusen have drawn their last three games in all competitions
- The hosts are unbeaten in their last 11 Europa League home matches, winning nine times in that run with seven of those victories coming to nil
- Both teams have scored in five of Bayer's last seven away fixtures
- Giallorossi centre-back Gianluca Mancini scored in both legs against AC Milan in the quarter-finals
- These two sides met at this stage of the competition last season, with Roma running out 1-0 victors on aggregate on that occasion
Prediction
Roma won this exact match 1-0 last season and will be looking for more of the same this time around. They have lost just two of their last 22 home matches and are unbeaten in 11 Europa League home games, winning seven times to nil in that run.
However, while the hosts are excellent at the Stadio Olimpico, Bayer have come on leaps and bounds from last year, so backing a Roma win would be a bold move.
Bayer were recently confirmed as Bundesliga champions and are still unbeaten in all competitions after a mind-boggling 46 matches, although their form has been less impressive of late.
Alonso's men have drawn their last three fixtures, needing late goals to keep their unbeaten record intact in all of those fixtures, and they have also been held to a draw in each of their last two Europa League away matches, by Qarabag and West Ham respectively.
There are signs they can be got at and Roma, with their excellent home record, could have enough to get the result, but using the double chance market is a safer move, just in case Bayer find some of their late-game superhuman strength to rescue their unbeaten streak.
It could be worth adding that selection to over 1.5 goals to boost the odds, too, as the ball has hit the net at least twice in 16 of Roma's last 18 home games and eight of Leverkusen's last nine on the road.
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