Roma vs Athletic Club Prediction, Preview, Predicted Lineups and Team News | UEFA Europa League

Roma vs Athletic Club Preview

• Competition: UEFA Europa League.
• Date: Thursday, March 6.
• Time: 8:00 PM GMT.
• Venue: Stadio Olimpico.

Roma vs Athletic Club will take place at the Stadio Olimpico in the first leg of the round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League in the late kick-off slot on March 6.

The hosts will enter this contest on the back of a great run of form of late. They are unbeaten in their last six matches across competitions, recording five wins and one draw in this run. In their last five, Roma have scored 11 goals and conceded just four, keeping two clean sheets as well. They secured a 2-1 win against 10-man Como last time out and will look to extend the winning run.

Athletic Club, on the other hand, are in a slightly mixed vein of form of late. They have won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five matches across competitions. In this run, they have scored 13 goals and conceded just five, keeping one clean sheet as well. They suffered a narrow 1-0 loss against Atletico Madrid last time out and will look to put that behind them.

On that note, here is the team news coming out from both camps.

Roma Team News

Manager Claudio Ranieri fielded a strong lineup in his team's last match as they secured a 2-1 win at home. Most starters and all substitutes put in strong performances to help their team secure an all-important result. There were no new injuries or suspensions to report.

They will be without just one player for their next match as Leandro Paredes is suspended.

Athletic Club Team News

Manager Ernesto Valverde fielded a strong lineup in his team's last match as they fell to a narrow defeat away from home. Some players put in decent performances, while others went under the radar. He used all five subs as well, but there were no new injuries or suspensions to report.

They will be without two players for their next match. Alvaro Djalo (ankle) and Oihan Sancet (thigh) will miss out as they continue to recover.

Roma vs Athletic Club Predicted Lineups

Roma Predicted Lineup

Goalkeeper: Mile Svilar.

Defenders: Zeki Celik, Gianluca Mancini, Evan Ndicka.

Midfielders: Matias Soule, Manu Kone, Leandro Paredes, Angelino.

Forwards: Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini (C), Eldor Shomurodov.

Athletic Club Predicted Lineup

Goalkeeper: Unai Simon.

Defenders: Andoni Gorosabel, Daniel Vivian, Yeray Alvarez, Yuri Berchiche.

Midfielders: Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta, Mikel Jauregizar, Unai Gomez.

Forwards: Inaki Williams (C), Nico Williams, Alex Berenguer.

Head-to-Head Record

These two teams have faced each other twice before, with only one of those being a competitive match, while the other was a friendly. However, both matches ended in draws.

Key Players to Watch

Angelino (Roma)

Despite playing predominantly as a wing-back, Angelino has bagged four goal contributions for Roma so far in this Europa League campaign. His marauding runs forward and a knack for delivering the perfect cross make him a constant threat on the left flank and the Italian outfit will look to use this to their advantage.

Inaki Williams (Athletic Club)

Williams has been in top form for Athletic Club in the Europa League this season and has already added five goals to their cause. A tall, powerful and intelligent footballer, Williams can be a handful for defenders in wide areas during open play, or also during set-pieces. He will look to add to his tally.

Roma vs Athletic Club Prediction

The recent head-to-head between these two suggests there was little to separate the two earlier. That trend is likely to continue in the next one, as well as the first leg will end in a score draw.

Prediction: Roma 1-1 Athletic Club.

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