Roma are in need of a win to jumpstart their Europa League campaign as they travel to Real Betis for a Group C fixture. They are without a few key players and are likely to struggle against Betis, who have a 100% record in the competition and are imperious at home.
Real Betis are having a fine campaign in the Europa League this season and are currently top of Group C having won all three of their matches so far. They came from behind to win 2-1 at Roma in the previous meeting, with Guido Rodriguez and Luis Henrique getting the goals.
The Spanish club’s good form is not just limited to the Europa League as they have won seven of their last 10 matches across all competitions. However, they head into Thursday’s clash off the back of a 0-0 draw at Real Valladolid in La Liga last Sunday.
A superb home record has been at the heart of Real Betis’ good form this season as they have won all five of their matches across all competitions at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.
Roma will be disappointed with the result from the first meeting with Real Betis as they threw away an early lead from Paulo Dybala. The defeat means they have now lost two of their three Europa League matches and are six points off the pace in Group C.
That result highlights Roma’s inconsistency this season as they have claimed two wins and suffered two defeats from their last four matches across all competitions. Jose Mourinho’s men also suffered a 2-1 defeat to Ludogorets in their previous away fixture in the Europa League.
Another problem for Roma ahead of the trip to Betis is that they will be without a few key players. Nicolo Zaniolo was sent off late in the first meeting while Paulo Dybala picked up an injury in the 2-1 Serie A victory over Lecce last Sunday.
How the bookies view it
The bookies appear to be split on this one with a win for Real Betis valued at 8/5 by William Hill while a Roma victory is priced at 37/20 by Unibet. A draw is set at odds of 5/2 with Betfred.
Head to head
Real Betis have won the two previous meetings with Roma, claiming a 5-2 victory in a friendly in 2021 before last week’s triumph.
Players to watch
Real Betis tend to rotate their squad for the Europa League with Willian Jose often the preferred choice to lead the line. The striker has two goals in the competition and is priced at 2/1 by bet365 to find the net on Thursday.
Tammy Abraham has not looked his best for Roma this season but needs to come to the party in the absence of Paulo Dybala. The striker is expected to lead the line on Thursday and is priced at 21/10 by Unibet to get on the score sheet on Thursday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Real Betis and Roma have not shown much defensive solidity this season and both teams could be backed to score at 13/16 by SBK. The first meeting produced over 2.5 goals and a repeat could be on the cards at evens with BetVictor while over 3.5 goals could also be considered at 5/2 with Unibet.
Betis have opened the scoring in four of their last five home matches and could be backed to grab the first goal on Thursday at evens with Coral.
This UEFA Europa League match between Real Betis and Roma will be played on Oct 13, 2022 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Real Betis vs Roma prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
