The UEFA Europa League knockout play-offs conclude this week, with Forebet’s football predictions focusing on eight second-leg clashes on Thursday.
Following a 1-1 draw in the Netherlands last week, Feyenoord travel to Roma’s Stadio Olimpico for the deciding leg of their pivotal showdown.
Will the Daniele De Rossi’s men triumph on home soil? Or could the travelling Dutch outfit spoil the party in the Italian capital? Keep reading to discover what our AI algorithm predicts.
Our #UEL trip starts in Rotterdam. pic.twitter.com/q9Y6tNbJVq— Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) February 21, 2024
Our #UEL trip starts in Rotterdam. pic.twitter.com/q9Y6tNbJVq
Roma can count themselves fortunate to have conceded just once in the first leg, as Feyenoord racked up 18 shots at De Kuip, but Romelu Lukaku equalised midway through the second half.
The Italian outfit followed up that draw with a 3-0 victory over Frosinone last time out, despite facing a barrage of 25 shots on Sunday.
Roma have now won four of their previous six matches across all competitions, suffering a solitary defeat in the process, with two clean sheets coming in their last four games.
Trends also show that Roma have been incredibly strong on home soil of late, winning 12 of their previous 15 encounters at the Stadio Olimpico.
As for Feyenoord, they claimed a 1-0 victory over RKC Waalwijk on Sunday, racking up 77% possession and 32 shots, 14 of which were on target.
That win extended Feyenoord’s unbeaten streak across all competitions to 11 matches, with Arne Slot’s side keeping seven clean sheets in that sequence.
While Roma have been strong at home this term, Feyenoord have remained resilient on the road, winning eight of their last 12 away games.
It is also worth noting that Slot’s men have scored 12 goals in their previous five away outings (2.4 goals per game), achieving a couple of clean sheets for good measure.
Head-to-head: Roma and Feyenoord have faced each other six times in UEFA competitions since 2015, with the Dutch side managing a solitary victory along the way.
Given that each of the six previous meetings have produced under 3.5 goals – with four serving up under 2.5 goals – Thursday's clash will likely be a low-scoring affair.
Team news: Roma are still without long-term injury absentee Tammy Abraham, while Edoardo Bove is suspended for the second leg.
Feyenoord have bigger injury problems to worry about, with Justin Bijlow, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Gernot Trauner, Gjivai Zechiel and Thomas van den Belt all expected to miss the decider.
Thursday’s showdown is destined to be a close-fought battle between two resilient teams, although the home advantage favours Roma.
Forebet predicts that Roma will book their place in the next round with a narrow victory, with the hosts expected to keep a clean sheet in the process.