Roma will have to pull a go-big-or-go-home performance in the Europa League as they host Red Bull Salzburg at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy on Thursday. Join us as we continue our Europa League odds series, where we make our AS Roma-FC Salzburg prediction and pick while showing you how to watch.
Jose Mourinho’s side suffered a 1-0 away defeat in last week’s first leg. With a recent win in the Serie A, the Wolves look to overturn the deficit in familiar territory.
The Austrians look to find their fourth-straight win in six games this February. Matthias Jaissle hopes that his youngsters will show their brilliance on the pitch as they take their second away game this year.
Here are the AS Roma-FC Salzburg soccer odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Europa League Odds: Roma-Salzburg Odds
AS Roma FC: -150
RB Salzburg: +420
Draw: +270
Over 2.5 Goals: +114
Under 2.5 Goals: -138
How to Watch Roma vs. Salzburg
TV: TUDNxtra
Stream: fuboTV, Paramount+, TUDN.Com, TUDN App, ViX, ViX+
Time: 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT
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Why Roma Can Beat Salzburg
The defeat against Salzburg is still a bitter loss for Jose Mourinho. The Italians hit the woodwork twice, missed a series of big chances and shots inside the box, and had a 6-2 edge on corner kicks. However, they were stunned by a well-directed Nicolas Capaldo 88th-minute header from a beautiful pass by Strahinja Pavlovic.
The Yellow and Reds are currently third in the Serie A, three points away from Inter Milan while league leaders Napoli boast of an 18-point buffer. Roma has blasted the net 30 times in 22 games played. La Magica were placed second in Group C, six points behind Real Betis while overtaking Ludogrets and HJK.
For a side trailing Salzburg heading into Thursday's meeting at the Olimpico, the Wolves need the requisite ruthlessness to avoid exiting the Europa League early. They can draw inspiration from their goal-scoring in Stadio Olimpico in the tournament, scoring seven times in the group stage.
Be that as it may, the Romans must avoid repeating mistakes from their only home loss in the competition, a 2-1 defeat by Real Betis. Jose Mourinho will welcome back Lorenzo Pellegrini who scored three goals in this tourney. Injuries to Paulo Dybala (muscle), Tammy Abraham (eye), and Ebrima Darboe (ligament) will be painful to Mourinho, but he will keep his optimism by partnering Pellegrini with Stephen El Shaaway and Andrea Belotti.
Rui Patricio is likely to start in goal behind the back three of Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling, and Roger Ibanez. Nemanja Matic will start in the midfield alongside Bryan Cristante, Leonardo Spinazzola, and Nicola Zalewski.
Why Salzburg Can Beat Roma
Matthias Jaissle's troops will back themselves against a team that has failed to find the back of the net or not score more than one goal in seven of their 11 games in 2023. The Red Bulls are still on a winners' high by beating WSG Tirol 3-1 thanks to goals from Karim Konate, Benjamin Sesko, and a Kofi Schulz own goal. Salzburg tops Austria's Bundesliga, earning 45 of the possible 54 points with 40 goals blasted.
The Austrian Bundesliga leaders have the momentum going into the game and will be hopeful of catching Roma cold once again. However, this is only Salzburg's second game on the road which might see them falter as visitors. But Salzburg will have no worries, as they look to replicate their Bundesliga stats of 16 total shots, 10.3 successful dribbles, and 7.3 corners per game.
Nevertheless, Jaissle has a decent squad at his disposal and is likely to retain most of his starters from the first leg. The likes of Samson Tijani, Dijon Kameri, Daoida Guindo, Bryan Okoh, Jerome Onuene, and Justin Omoregie are absent in this fixture.
Philipp Kohn should start in goal behind defenders Amar Dedic, Oumar Solet, Strahinja Pavlovic, and Andreas Ulmer. Lucas Gourna-Douath is likely to be deployed in a sweeping role in midfield, alongside Nicolas Seiwald and Nicolas Capaldo. Luka Sukic, Fernando, and Noah Okafor will lead the team in the attack.
Final Roma-Salzburg Prediction & Pick
Roma will pick up from their loss last week and push this game to their advantage. A significant roster reduction in Salzburg will hurt their rotation, and with a bit of inexperience on the road this year, they will find some trouble in Italy. Back the Romans to topple the Austrians in this exciting game.
Final Roma-Salzburg Prediction & Pick: Roma (-150), Over 2.5 goals (+114)
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