Prediction and odds for the game: Sevilla (6/5) v Roma (5/2)
We are backing the draw at odds of 9/4
When: Thursday, 6th August 2020, Kick-off 17:55
Where: The Sanchez Pizjuan
On Thursday evening, Sevilla and Roma go head-to-head in Duisburg, in the Europa League last-16, with both teams heading into the clash in positive moods.
Sevilla
The Andalusians are enjoying a fruitful season in Julen Lopetegui’s debut campaign as head coach. Los Rojiblancos finished fourth place in La Liga, qualifying for next season’s Champions League and look strong heading into this clash.
In fact, Sevilla heads into this clash on the back of a 17-game unbeaten run in all competitions. They have also won five of their last six competitive matches. The recent good run of form has its roots in good defensive displays, as the Spanish team has now kept clean sheets in four of their previous five games.
The only slight negative for Lopetegui’s team is that they are winless in their previous three matches in the Europa League. However, their last game in the competition was at the end of February. They have also suffered just one defeat in their last eight matches in the Europa League. Their most recent matches in the competition have been relatively low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in their last four matches in European football’s secondary competition.
Roma
The Giallorossi experienced a mixed campaign in Serie A. Despite a good run of form towards the end of the campaign, the team from the Italian capital still missed out on the Champions League spots, finishing fifth in the table.
Roma finished the campaign with an eight-game undefeated run, seven of which they won. A 3-1 final weekend win at Juventus was their fourth consecutive victory. The win also ended Juventus two-year unbeaten home run in Serie A. Paulo Fonseca’s team were lethal in front of goal in the latter stages of last season, scoring at least twice in their last eight matches in Serie A.
The Giallorossi have endured an underwhelming recent history with the Europa League. They have lost just once in their previous nine games in the competition. However, they have also drawn four of their previous seven matches in the Europa League. Their recent matches in European football’s secondary competition have been relatively low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in five of their last seven games in the competitions.
Conclusion
This game is a difficult one to judge, as both teams head into the game in such good form. We are going to sit on the fence and back the draw, as the game could easily go either way. This game has the potential to be a high-scoring encounter, so we are also backing over 2.5 goals to be scored.
Verdict: We are backing the draw at odds of 9/4 and/or over 2.5 goals scored at evens (All odds are taken from Bet365).
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