Following the drama of the knockout round play-offs last month, the UEFA Europa League resumes on Thursday as the round of 16 gets underway.
One of the standout clashes sees Roma entertain Brighton & Hove Albion at the Stadio Olimpico, with the Seagulls facing Italian opposition for the first time in their history.
Will Roma continue their remarkable revival under Daniele De Rossi? Or could Roberto De Zerbi’s boys spoil the party? Keep reading to discover what Forebet’s algorithm predicts.
Roma head into the first leg on the back of a 4-1 victory over Monza in Serie A, meaning they have now won six of their last seven league encounters.
In terms of the bigger picture, De Rossi’s men have lost just one of their previous nine matches across all competitions, scoring over 1.5 goals on seven occasions in that time.
Despite losing only one of their six games, Roma finished second in their Europa League group after taking 13 points from a possible 18.
Still, the Italian outfit managed to book their place in the last 16 with a penalty shootout victory over Feyenoord last month, following two 1-1 draws.
Brighton, on the other hand, suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Fulham last time out, despite racking up 71% possession and 15 shots at Craven Cottage.
The Seagulls have now lost each of their last two matches across all competitions, with four defeats coming in their previous seven outings.
It is worth remembering, however, that De Zerbi’s side have won each of their last four Europa League matches without conceding a single goal.
Having picked up two wins and one draw on their European travels this season – avoiding defeat to Marseille, Ajax and AEK Athens – Brighton will back themselves to enjoy success in
Head-to-head: This is the first-ever meeting between Roma and Brighton, meaning there are no stats or trends to analyze for this fixture.
Team news: Roma are still without long-term injury absentee Tammy Abraham, who has been sidelined since June with a serious knee problem.
As for Brighton, Kaoru Mitoma, Solly March, Jack Hinshelwood, Joao Pedro and James Milner are all expected to miss the first leg due to injury.
Given that both sides have been involved in high-scoring clashes in recent weeks, Thursday’s showdown looks set to produce plenty of goals.
Forebet predicts that Roma and Brighton will combine for over 3.5 goals at the Stadio Olimpico, setting up a winner-takes-all second leg.
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