Will the hosts seize the moment?

So soon they meet again: The kickers from the “Eternal City” and the Basques have already faced each other in the preliminary round this season. In the duel in Rome, they drew 1-1.
Both teams are in strong form: the Italians have won their last four competitive games and the Spaniards have at least seven points from their last four national league games. So it looks like it will be another close game like in September last year, when the teams agreed on a draw. In our following analysis, however, we show that the guests are now weakened by a painful loss, which is why the AS Roma vs Athletic Bilbao forecast is aimed at a home win, including securing a draw.

AS Roma – Statistics & current form

The Romans only made it to the last 16 with a great deal of effort. Due to a mixed league phase, Claudio Ranieri’s team had to compete in the intermediate round and faced a strong opponent in Porto. In the end, they only just made it through to the next round against the Portuguese, and the “Giallorossi” owed their 3-2 home win in the second leg mainly to Paulo Dybala, who scored twice.

In the domestic league, the home side are increasingly stable again. After 27 rounds, they are only in eighth place, but the upswing is clear from a glance at the form table for the last five rounds. In this ranking, the “Wolves” are in second place behind Juve!

In addition, the three-time Italian champions have reactivated their home strength. AS has not been beaten in seven domestic league games (6-1-0)! In particular, the attack is currently firing on home territory, with nine goals in the last three home games.

Do the names Roma and Bilbao ring a bell on both sides?

Given this and the solidity of the visitors’ attack, the chances of celebrating a goal on both sides in the game between AS Roma and Athletic Bilbao are seen as a good idea. Bet365 offers odds, and the bookmaker from Stoke-on-Trent also accepts Paysafecard as a payment option for bets!

The nine-time cup winners in the country are also strong at home in all competitions, having recently recorded three home wins in the Europa League against Porto and Eintracht Frankfurt, as well as against Sampdoria Genoa in the Coppa Italia. The hosts have now gone 11 home matches without defeat in all competitions, and only one of those games did not end with “La Magica” winning.

Athletic Bilbao – Statistics & current form

The Basques have been particularly convincing from an attacking point of view in recent weeks. Since the particularly powerful forward Oihan Sancet was back on board, the attack of the fourth in LaLiga has flourished.

One example was the recent 7-1 win over Valladolid in the league, and looking back at their last five league games, the eight-time Spanish champions have averaged 2.6 goals. However, the aforementioned top striker Oihan Sancet is now out again with an injury, which means that the visitors’ forward line can be considered weakened.

No more than one goal from the Basques?

In light of this, the odds for a maximum of two goals in the game, as in the last game last year, are also recommended for the clash between AS Roma and Athletic Bilbao.

The “Rojiblancos” also had room for improvement defensively in the league phase away from home. Coach Ernesto Valverde’s team failed to keep a clean sheet in three of their four away games, conceding an average of 1.5 goals. By comparison, the 24-time cup winners recorded victories (4) and only conceded one goal in front of their own fans!

In the “Leones’” offense, hopes now lie with Inaki Williams after the loss of Sancet. The 30-year-old veteran feels particularly comfortable in the competition anyway. With four goals, the Ghanaian has the best record in the club and has already surpassed his record from last season in the Europa League (3).

AS Roma – Athletic Bilbao Direct comparison / H2H record

The winner of the 1961 European City Fairs Cup and Bilbao, as described, already faced each other in the league phase last September, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. For the rematch on the Tiber between AS Roma and Athletic Bilbao, the odds now moderately assign the role of favorites to the hosts.

AS Roma – Athletic Bilbao Tip

Roma won the Conference League in 2022 and now wants to repeat this triumph in the Europa League. However, the round of 16 could be the end of the road for the hosts, as the upcoming opponent is very strong. For the match between AS Roma and Athletic Bilbao, however, the forecast initially includes a home win (DNB).

Although the San Mames kickers are in great form, the hosts can also be said to be in stable form. In addition, the Basques will have to do without their top striker Sancet, who scored six goals in the last four competitive games for the visitors, leaving a big gap in Bilbao’s attack.

This was also evident in the guests’ dress rehearsal last weekend in the game against Atletico Madrid, in which they went without scoring for the first time in five competitive games (0-1). In view of this and the weaker performances of the Spanish team in the preliminary round compared to the home games, we are deciding on a home win for AS Roma against Athletic Bilbao. However, only in the form of a draw-no-bet, as the advantage over the guests is admittedly slight.