The battle for the top spot in Group G of the UEFA Europa League will take place on Thursday, November 9, 2023, when Slavia Prague host AS Roma at Fortuna Arena. AS Roma collected a maximum of nine points from the opening three matches, while Slavia Prague have six – their only loss came to Roma in Italy. Here you can read our Slavia Prague vs AS Roma betting preview and prediction.
Slavia Prague (Form and News)
Group G’s top-two tussle in the Czech capital in UEFA Europa League (UEL) Round 4, as Slavia Prague host Roma knowing that a win would see them move to the summit. That would be huge for Slavia, who have reached the quarter-finals on their last two UEL appearances, and their chances of taking a step closer to making that three in a row are boosted by the fact all three of their historical wins against Italian opposition came on home turf (W3, D3, L9).
That only tells half the story though, as none of the last three times they welcomed Italian opposition to the Fortuna Arena yielded a victory (D2, L1). Recent home history has at least been much kinder, as Slavia have tasted just one competitive defeat on home turf since October 2022, although admittedly that was against Viktoria Plzeň at the weekend (2-1), thus missing the chance to move to the top of the Czech First League. But given they’ve won each of their three UEL games ‘to nil’ here this season, confidence should still be relatively high, especially as Roma have never beaten Czech opposition away from home (D1, L2).
Player to watch: Mojmír Chytil opened the scoring in Slavia’s last UEL home outing, but he’s actually closed the scoring on five of his six scoring appearances this season.
Jindrich Trpisovsky cannot count Matej Jurasek (ankle), Taras Kacharaba (injury), David Pech (knee), and Petr Sevcik (muscle).
AS Roma (Form and News)
Roma should arrive in an upbeat mood after scoring two injury-time goals to recover to beat Lecce on Sunday. With three wins from three in Group G so far, many will be expecting this to be a walk in the park for the Italian giants. That may not necessarily transpire though, as Roma’s matchday one win against Sheriff was their first European away win in five attempts (D2, L2)!
Away form across all competitions this season also paints a gloomy picture for Roma (W2, D1, L3), but those games have at least provided entertainment for the neutral, with five seeing both teams get on the scoresheet. While that would suggest entertainment, the Giallorossi’s more recent results would suggest this could be a fruitless evening for them as seven of their last eight games have been won by the home side on the day.
Hot stat: Roma have conceded exactly once in four of their last five away games.
Player to watch: Romelu Lukaku was on the scoresheet in Roma’s 2-0 victory in the reverse - he’s now scored in 14 successive Europa League fixtures.
Jose Mourinho will be without Tammy Abraham (knee), Marash Kumbulla (knee), and Lorenzo Pellegrini (muscle). Chris Smalling and Leonardo Spinazzola are questionable to feature on Thursday.
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Slavia Prague vs AS Roma H2H Record
Slavia and Roma have met on three occasions so far. Roma won two matches, while Slavia have one victory. Two weeks ago in Italy, Edoardo Bove and Romelu Lukaku scored in the opening 20 minutes to set the final score; 2-0.
Slavia Prague vs AS Roma Odds
Slavia Prague are slight underdogs at +210 in this clash. You can bet on AS Roma to get a victory at +172, while a draw is at +230. When it comes to goals, Over 2.5 is at +136, and Under 2.5 is at -143. The both teams to score bettors can pick between BTTS YES at -105 and BTTS NO at +100. Here you can find more soccer odds!
Slavia Prague vs AS Roma Pick
Slavia Prague played ten home matches in all competitions this season and they managed to score at least a goal in each. The 2-1 loss to Plzen in the most recent game was the first home defeat in 2023. Roma, on the other hand, are not playing very well on the road this season. The Giallorossi conceded in each of six away matches so far, and failed to score in just one in return.
Competition in this group isn’t fierce, so even with a potential loss, Slavia will have a decent chance to progress to the knockout stage. However, I believe they will try to beat Roma and climb to the top of their group. That’s why expect an attacking football from the hosts and I am backing goals on both ends.
AUTHOR: Oliver Zivic
