AS Roma – Salzburg Tips Free Betting Tips
Roma coach and two-time defending champion José Mourinho felt his side did not deserve the 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League (UEL) playoff tie against Salzburg. The late winner for the Austrians leaves the Portuguese coach and his team facing a huge challenge as they look to build on last season’s UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) triumph.
That task is made more complicated with the news that Mourinho’s two main attacking weapons, Paulo Dybala and Tammy Abraham, are doubts for this clash, with the latter coming on as a substitute just 15 minutes into the weekend’s 1-0 win over Hellas Verona. Roma have won all five of their official home matches without conceding in this 2023 when one or both strikers are in the starting XI, leading at halftime in four of those victories, but lost their only game at the Stadio Olimpico this term when both were on the bench.
Salzburg travel to Rome in high spirits thanks to Nicolas Capalda’s 88th-minute goal in the first leg, part of a run of three consecutive wins in all competitions. However, the main hero was Philipp Köhn, who became the first goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet against Roma in 34 UEFA competition matches.
The visitors have lost just twice when playing in that capacity this season (G11, E2), a record that includes two 1-1 draws against Chelsea and Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League. Still, their 4-0 loss at home to Milan in November marked their seventh European away game without a win (E3, P4), while they have lost each of their last six matches on rival soil in UEL during the knockout stage.
Players to watch: With Roma’s list of absentees growing, Andrea Belotti will surely be asked to add to his record of eight goals in 12 career appearances at the European competition level. Salzburg’s Nicolas Capaldo has found the back of the net after the 85th minute in his last two appearances, and thus all four of his goals on the season have been registered after the break.
Key stat: Salzburg have won 12 of their 18 series in UEFA competitions after winning the first leg at home, including the last three.
OVER 2.5 GOALS Odds: 2.00
The odds presented in the prediction may vary at the time of verification.
