Matchday 3 of the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League goes down on Thursday. Over in Group C, Jose Mourinho’s Roma welcome Real Betis to the Stadio Olimpico.
Betis find themselves atop Group C – three points clear of second-place Ludogorets – after winning each of their opening two games.
Meanwhile, Roma sit third – three points behind Betis – having taken three points from a possible six. Can the Italians kick-start their campaign on Thursday?
Roma suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Ludogorets on Matchday 1, despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession and racking up 19 shots.
However, they bounced back on Matchday 2. Mourinho’s men beat HJK 3-0 before the international break, with Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Andrea Belotti grabbing the goals.
Roma head into Matchday 3 on the back of an impressive 2-1 victory at Inter. As a result, they find themselves sixth in the Serie A standings – four points off the top.
Having won three of their past four games in all competitions, Roma will be confident of avoiding defeat on Thursday.
As for Real Betis, they claimed a 2-0 win at HJK on Matchday 1 – thanks to a brace from Willian Jose. It is worth noting that Betis registered 20 shots on that occasion.
On Matchday 2, the Spaniards sealed a 3-2 victory over Ludogorets. Once again, they dominated proceedings and should have scored more.
Real Betis have made a strong start to their La Liga campaign, too, winning five of their seven domestic games since the start of the season.
That said, they suffered a 1-0 loss to Celta Vigo last time out – with Luiz Felipe seeing red after just 20 minutes.
Head-to-head: Roma and Betis met in a pre-season friendly last year. On that occasion, the Spanish side thrashed the Italians 5-2 on home soil.
However, Thursday’s clash will be the first competitive meeting between Roma and Betis in European competition.
Team news: Roma will be without the injured duo of Georginio Wijnaldum (tibia fracture), Rick Karsdorp (meniscal laceration) and Ebrima Darboe (cruciate ligament surgery) on Thursday.
On the flip side, Betis will be without Juanmi as the winger continues to recover from a torn ankle ligament.
This is destined to be a close game between two relatively evenly matched sides, meaning we might not see a winner on Thursday.
Forbet predicts that Roma and Betis will dish up a high-scoring draw, with both teams scoring over 1.5 goals.