In one of the ties of the last-32 of the Europa League, Spanish side Villarreal host high-flying Italian outfit Roma at El Madrigal.
Villarreal are regarded as one of the most defensive resilient sides in the Spanish top-flight, which is illustrated by the fact they have the best defensive record in La Liga, conceding just 15 goals. However, they tend to struggle to score goals at the other end of the pitch.
Fran Escriba’s team have a tendency to draw too many games, though, and drew three of their six games in the group stages of this competition, as the Spanish side finished second in their group to surprise package Osmanlispor.
The Yellow Submarine have a decent record in the Europa League, having suffered just two defeats from their last 19 outings in Europe’s secondary competition. They have also won nine of their last ten games at El Madrigal in this competition.
Roma head into this clash in good form, having won eight of their last nine games in all competitions. The Giallorossi currently sit second in Serie A and finished top of their group, having recorded three wins and three draws.
Luciano Spalletti’s side have been relatively prolific this season in Europe, with only Zenit and Shakhtar Donetsk scoring more goals in the Europa League group stages. In fact, Roma have scored three or more goals in four of their last five outings in the Europa League.
The men from the Italian capital have suffered just one defeat in their last 11 outings in the Europa League. However, six of those games have resulted in draws, so just like Villarreal, Roma have drawn a lot of games in the Europa League.
Forebet predicts that the Italian visitors will head home with a victory, but it would not be a major surprise if this game ended all-square.