Roma host Porto at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday in the second leg of their Europa League knockout playoff. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, everything is still up for grabs, although Roma’s strong home form in the competition should give them the edge.
The home team head into this game in good form and are unbeaten in six of their last seven matches in all competitions. Claudio Ranieri’s men have picked up four wins in that run and earned a 1-0 win over Parma in Serie A last Sunday.
The Giallorossi are unbeaten at home in the Europa League this campaign, winning to nil in their last three matches. That defensive discipline has not hampered their attacking quality as the Italians have scored in their last five matches across all competitions.
Porto come into this game off the back of a 1-0 win over Farense in the Primeira Liga, their first victory this month after four winless matches in all competitions. Martin Anselmi’s side have been inconsistent on their travels, with three wins and as many defeats from their last six away matches in all competitions.
That poor away record also stretches into Europe as they are winless in three of their last four Europa League fixtures on the road, losing twice in that run. Defensive issues also remain a concern, with seven goals conceded in those four Europa League away fixtures.
How the bookies view it: Roma heavily fancied
The bookies have installed Roma as overwhelming favorurites , with a home win priced at 3/4 by BoyleSports. A victory for Porto is priced at 15/4 while a draw is set at 12/5 by BoyleSports.
Head to head: Little to separate them
Porto have a 2-1 edge with three draws from six previous matches against Roma. The last two meetings have ended in 1-1 draws while the Italians earned a 2-1 win in the last home fixture during the 2018-19 Champions League.
Players to watch: Efficient Dovbyk
Artem Dovbyk leads the scoring charts for Roma with thirteen goals in all competitions this season. The striker could be in line to add to his tally, with BoyleSports offering odds of 6/4 on him to score anytime.
Mats Hummels has been at the center of a resolute Roma defense, doing his part as the Italians kept three straight home clean-sheets in the Europa League. The hosts could be set for another clean sheet on Saturday at 13/10 with BoyleSports.
Probable line-ups
Roma will be without star forward Paulo Dybala who is out injured while Thursday’s clash comes too soon for defender Devyne Rensch. Bryan Cristante and Alexis Saelemaekers are both suspended but Dovbyk is expected to return to the team after sitting out the Serie A win at Parma.
Asides Martim Fernandes and Marko Grujic, Porto have everyone available for the trip to Rome. Francisco Moura has scored in Porto's last two games and is expected to keep his place in the line-up alongside Fabio Vieira while Samu Omorodion is set to lead the line once again.
Roma: Svilar, Hummels, Mancini, Ndicka, Celik, Gourna-Douath, Paredes, Kone, Angelino, Dovbyk Pellegrini
Porto: Costa, Otavio, Perez, Tiago Djalo, Moura, Vieira, Eustaquio, Joao Mario, Pepe, Namaso, Samu
Anything else catch the eye?
Roma have won their last three Europa league home games to nil and could be set for a repeat at 9/5 with BoyleSports. The hosts have scored in the first half of their last two games and a similar outcome is valued at 5/6 with BoyleSports.
The Italians have also scored more goals after the break in three of their last five home matches in all competitions and could be set for a similar trend at 21/20.
This UEFA Europa League match between Roma and Porto will be played on Feb 20, 2025 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Roma vs Porto prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
