After starting their respective UEFA Europa League (UEL) campaigns with wins, Roma and Lille are looking to make it two from two here at the Stadio Olimpico.
Match News and Current Form
Roma beat Hellas Verona 2-0 on Sunday, making it five victories from their opening six matches this season (L1). That run includes their 2-1 win at Nice last Wednesday in their opening UEL encounter this term, which gives Roma a chance to start the main draw of the competition with back-to-back victories for only the second time in their history since it was rebranded from the UEFA Cup ahead of the 2009/10 campaign. The Giallorossi will be confident of doing so, as they have continued their fine form from the end of last season, winning ten of their last 12 games (L2).
After suffering a 1-0 defeat against Lyon last weekend, Lille have now lost two of their last three encounters, but that sole win came on the opening matchday of their UEL campaign when beating Brann 2-1. They have never started the competition under its current name with successive victories, but they could take some inspiration from the beginning of this season, when they won three of their first four matches (D1). Only three wins in their 16 UEL main-draw away outings (D5, L8) and three victories in their last ten competitive games on the road suggests that they face a tough task here though.
Head-to-Head History
This will be the first competitive meeting between the sides, with Roma having won two of their three previous UEL matches against French clubs (L1), while Lille have a 50% winning record against teams from Italy in all competitions (W7, D3, L4).
Hot Stats and Streaks
Only one team has scored in six of Roma’s last seven matches.
Just one of Roma’s last eight competitive home games produced over 2.5 goals.
Six of Lille’s last eight matches saw over 2.5 goals.
There have been 17 goals in Lille’s three away games this term.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Artem Dovbyk opened his Roma account for the season on Sunday and has made it 1-0 with each of his last four goals, with his side winning by that scoreline on three occasions. Hamza Igamane got the opener in Lille’s triumph over Brann last week, meaning that his last eight goals for club and country have all arrived after half-time.
Paulo Dybala is set to remain sidelined for Roma with a hamstring injury, while Lille’s Tiago Santos seemingly left the field injured in their last game against Lyon.
For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.
Betting Analysis
With four of Roma’s six matches finishing 1-0 this season, we suggest betting on under 1.5 goals here.
Author: Tomáš Vlasák