ROMA and Feyenoord have become familiar foes in recent seasons and it's the Italian giants who hold the upper hand again heading into the second leg of their Europa League play-off round clash.
Jose Mourinho got his Roman reign off to the perfect start by beating the Dutch side in the inaugural Conference League Final two years ago and followed it up with a Europa League quarter-final victory over Feyenoord last term.
But the self-styled Special One lost the showpiece to Sevilla on penalties, despite taking the lead to bring up a bet for our man Mark, and that set the stage for a dramatic fall from grace that saw him axed last month.
Former midfielder Daniele De Rossi has overseen an upturn in form since taking charge, with Roma winning four of his six games, but the acid test of the revival now comes in Europe.
Feyenoord will still be kicking themselves over being pipped to a place in the Champions League knockout rounds by a distinctly average Lazio side but finishing above Celtic in Group E secured a parachute into the Europa League.
Arne Slot's side failed to make home advantage count in last week's first leg against Roma, with the 1-1 draw busting Mark's coupon after he had backed the Dutch champions to win.
After winning the Dutch title so impressively last season, this campaign has been a bit disappointing for Feyenoord and their crown looks to be slipping with PSV Eindhoven 10 points clear at the top.
But Feyenoord have now gone 10 games unbeaten since losing at Parkhead in their final Champions League game so they will be confident of turning things around in the Eternal City.
How the bookies view it
Roma are Coral's 8/13 favourites to reach the last 16 after that draw in Rotterdam while Feyenoord are 29/20 at Paddy Power. For a win on the night, you can back the Italians at 23/20 with Bet365 while the odds increase to 5/2 at BetMGM for the Slot's men. Another stalemate at 90 minutes pays also 5/2 with most firms.
Head to head
These clubs had never met in Europe until 2015 but they've been making up for lost time, with six games since then. Feyenoord have only claimed one victory over Roma and that came on home soil last season, winning 1-0 in the first leg of that Europa League quarter-final. Roma won 4-1 in the return but only after extra-time so it was a tighter game than the scoreline suggested.
Players to watch
Romelu Lukaku scored Roma's goal in Rotterdam and that took his tally for the season to 24. The big Belgian is always a handful and looks decent value at 6/4 with William Hill for another strike here.
Santiago Gimenez started the first leg on the bench but should be unleashed here as he remains Feyenoord's most potent attacker. The Mexican has 22 goals for the season and is 21/10 at Bet365 for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
There's little between these sides in terms of quality so it should be a tight game like the first leg. Neither side needs to chase the game so the half-time draw could be a good option at 6/5 with Unibet.
Familiarity often breeds contempt and there could be a few cards after five yellows were flashed in the first leg. Gianluca Mancini is usually good value for a card and has amassed eight yellows and one red already this term. The Roma stopper is 5/2 at Bet365 to go into the book and that looks overpriced given his disciplinary record. Over 5.5 match cards could also stands a chance at 13/10 with Unibet.
De Rossi's side won 5-4 on the corner count away from home last week so that makes backing Roma at -1 in the corner handicap worth a punt back in Italy at 13/10 with BetVictor.
This UEFA Europa League match between Roma and Feyenoord will be played on Feb 22, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Roma vs Feyenoord prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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