Europa League Preview: Athletic Bilbao vs Roma – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Athletic Bilbao and Roma renew hostilities in the Europa League for the third time this season, but first at Estadio San Mames. A quarter-final berth is within touching distance for the Italian side after a dramatic 2-1 first-leg win at the Stadio Olimpico last week.

Inaki Williams fired Bilbao in front after a goalless first half, but Roma turned the game on its head. Angelino leveled the score in the 56th minute before second-half substitute Eldor Shomurodov inspired Roma to a crucial victory with stoppage-time heroics.

Shomurodov did more than only score a late winner. He also drew Yeray Alvarez’s second yellow, weakening Bilbao’s defense ahead of this pivotal showdown. Ernesto Valverde’s side slumped against last weekend, drawing 1-1 against La Liga’s top-seven rivals Mallorca.

As a result, their dire run stands at three consecutive winless matches ahead of this fixture (D1, L2). That’s a stark contrast to Roma’s purple patch. Though their recent performances have lacked conviction, Roma saw Empoli off 1-0 at the weekend, courtesy of Matias Soule’s winner.

Indeed, the Argentine forward netted a first-minute opener to inspire Roma to their sixth consecutive win in all competitions. However, five came via a single-goal margin, highlighting the potential for another closely fought affair.

Match Preview

Athletic Bilbao

Despite Bilbao’s rough patch, they are a different team in the Basque Country. After a 3-2 Copa del Rey loss to Osasuna to start the new calendar year, Valverde’s charges have gone unbeaten in five successive home outings (W3, D2), including a 3-1 triumph against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League.

Though winless in three consecutive games for the first time this season, Los Leones must feel confident about overturning a slender one-goal deficit. Indeed, they’ve been relentless at San Mamess, winning all four Europa League matches this season, including three via multiple-goal margins.

Further optimism comes from Bilbao’s indomitable home record against Italian opposition. Eight of the ten previous meetings with Serie A clubs at San Mames have yielded victory (D1, L1), with the only failure arriving against Torino in February 2015. That may strike fear into Roma’s hearts as the visitors bid to maintain a rich vein of form.

Roma

Roma have progressed from the last nine major European ties when claiming a first-leg win. However, they would be naive to take this fixture for granted despite heading into proceedings amid a scintillating eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W7, D1). That’s not to mention they’ve not lost any of their last four Europa League games (W3, D1).

But Roma’s well-documented travel sickness threatens to throw a spanner in the works. Ranieri’s charges have won none of their last ten European matches on foreign soil (D6, L4), casting significant doubt on their hopes of avoiding defeat at one of the continent’s most challenging hostile venues.

Adding to Giallorossi’s skepticism, their historic record on Spanish soil looks anything but promising. Indeed, Roma have only won twice on their last 12 UEFA visits to the country (D2, L8). Yet, they left Spain unscathed on their most recent visit, holding Bilbao’s eternal rivals Real Sociedad to a goalless draw en route to the 2022/23 final.

Team News

In addition to the suspended Alvarez, Bilbao will be without talismanic playmaker Oihan Sancet and first-choice defender Dani Vivian for this clash. While Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta returns after serving a one-game domestic ban at the weekend, prodigious fullback Alvaro Djalo remains on the sidelines.

On the other hand, Roma will take this trip without Turkish wingback Zeki Celik, meaning winter signing Devyne Rensch could start on the right flank. Artem Dovbyk and Paulo Dybala should regain spots in the starting XI after being rested against Empoli. The same goes for Gianluca Mancini, who missed that game through suspension.

Athletic Bilbao vs Roma Potential Starting Line-ups

Athletic Bilbao (4-2-3-1): Agirrezabala; De Marcos, Nunez, Paredes, Yuri; Jauregizar, Ruiz De Galarreta; I. Williams, Gomez, N. Williams; Sannadi.

Roma (3-5-2): Svilar; Rensch, Mancini, Ndicka; Saelemaekers, Paredes, Cristante, Angelino; Dybala, Baldanzi; Dovbyk.

Athletic Bilbao vs Roma Prediction

Despite Roma’s long-standing issues on Spanish turf and indifferent away record in the Europa League this term, their renaissance under Ranieri can hardly be overlooked. Therefore, we back the Italians to secure a favorable result at San Mames and lock down a quarter-final berth.