Roma vs Real Sociedad predictions and match preview for Thursday’s UEFA Europa League fixture. Read on for analysis and predicted lineups as La Real travel to Italy.
| Date | Thursday 9th March 2023 |
| Kick-Off | 18:45 (CET) |
| Stadium | Stadio Olimpico |
| Competition | UEFA Europa League |
Roma vs Real Sociedad Preview
Real Sociedad resume their European campaign in the Italian capital this week. Having impressively topped their group which included Manchester United, Roma await in the Last 16 with the 1st Leg in the Stadio Olimpico.
The timing of this game may not be ideal from Imanol’s perspective with his team experiencing their least convincing period in the season. They’ve only won 1 of their last 7 matches in all competitions and the last 3 have been particularly poor, relative to the high standards they had previously set this term. Home draws against Celta Vigo and Cadiz, either side of a defeat at struggling Valencia, with just 1 goal scored, suggests they are far from at their best right now.
They also have perhaps a few demons to get over when it comes to European knockout football. Their last 3 Europa League campaigns have all ended at the first hurdle after the group stage with RB Salzburg, Manchester United and RB Leipzig all getting the better of them. This is a more experienced team now though and they should be able to name something close to their best XI, which hasn’t always been the case this term.
This will be a tough test for La Real with Roma enjoying a strong European record under Jose Mourinho. They won the UEFA Conference League last season but did show some cracks in the group stage of this season’s Europa League which saw them finish 2nd to a Real Betis side that won 2-1 at the Olimpico. That sent Roma into the play-off round where they duly beat RB Salzburg 2-1 on aggregate, largely thanks to a 2-0 win in the home leg.
Unlike their opponents, Roma do take a bit of momentum into this tie. They beat Juventus 1-0 at the weekend thanks to Gianluca Mancini’s goal and currently sit 4th in Serie A with a tight race for Champions League qualification on the cards. They are likely to set up with a back three here with Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini providing most of the attacking spark.
Score Prediction: Roma 1-0 Real Sociedad
This will be a tough test for Real Sociedad but they haven’t been at their best in the final third of late and may struggle to find a breakthrough here against a solid Roma backline. It’s hard to see many goals in the game but home advantage may swing it in the Italian side’s favour.
PLEASE NOTE – Our European football predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish teams playing in Europe. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
