Manchester United vs AS Roma
Manchester United host Roma in the Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday in a tie both sides will be desperate to win, but for slightly different reasons.
Champions League football for the 2021/22 season is pretty much assured for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils who sit in second place in the Premier League, 12 points clear of fifth-placed West Ham and ten behind leaders Manchester City. So the Europa League is the priority as United’s only chance of silverware to cap off a strong campaign.
For Paulo Fonseca’s Roma the situation is more serious; sure I Giallorossi would love to open their trophy cabinet, but they need a tournament win to have any chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season.
Talking Points
Manchester United
The Red Devils are hot favourites to make it through to the final at odds of 1.42, while Roma are at 2.85 to proceed. And when you look at the Red Devils’ form in the second half of the season you can see why. They have suffered just one defeat in the last 21 outings and are unbeaten in their last ten at home, winning four on the bounce.
And United have reached this stage of the competition with an imperious set of Europa League 2021 results after their exit from the Champions League. The Red Devils swept aside La Liga sides Granada and Real Sociedad, both by a 4-0 aggregate score-line, and passed a stiff test in a tie against Serie A high flyers AC Milan.
Portuguese midfield ace Bruno Fernandes has a prolific record in the competition, scoring 17 goals and making 11 assists in 30 Europa League appearances. While young striker Mason Greenwood will hope to get a start. He scored twice in United’s recent 3-1 victory over Burnley and is improving week on week.
Make or break for Roma
It’s not been the best of seasons for Paulo Fonseca’s Giallorossi, who sit in seventh place in Serie A, six points behind Lazio in sixth and 11 behind Juventus in fourth position. So their only chance of qualifying for Europe’s premier competition is to win the 2021 Europa League.
This is also a chance to reach their first European final in 30 years, and Fonseca knows their best hope of overcoming the Red Devils is by keeping it tight at the back to repel the hosts’ lighting counter-attacks, and for their strikers Borja Mayoral, who has seven goals in the competition, and the veteran Edin Dzeko to take their chances when they come their way. They have scored in six of their last seven away games and Roma will be on the hunt for an away goal.
Solskjaer reckons former Manchester City striker Dzeko is the biggest threat, he’s scored 12 goals in all competitions this year, but the United boss will also be aware of the danger posed by Italy defender Gianluca Mancini. The 25-year-old centre back has bagged four goals in Serie A this season, and also scored in Roma’s 3-0 Europa League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in March.
History
Both Manchester United and Roma have made it to one previous Europa League final, the Red Devils beating Ajax in 2017 final, while Roma lost an all Italian affair to Inter Milan back in 1991.
These two teams have met seven times this century, with Manchester United dominating the clashes, winning five and drawing one while Roma have managed a solitary 2-1 victory. That was in the first leg of the 2007 Champions League quarterfinals; but the Red Devils overturned the deficit in style, hammering the Giallorossi 7-1 in the return at Old Trafford.
Recent form favours the hosts; Roma haven’t won in four games, while the Red Devils’ draw with Leeds United ended a run of five consecutive wins. But this will be a fascinating contest as Roma’s dangerous attack tries to break down United’s strong defence, while the hosts’ quick and skilful creative players will fancy their chances of continuing their impressive form at Old Trafford.
Betting Tip
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Manchester United vs AS Roma | Total Goals 2-3 @ 1.82 |
| April 30, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
United are at SBOTOP odds of 1.55 to take a first-leg lead to Roma while the visitors are available at 5.80 and the draw is 3.85. The Red Devils should have the edge and the Europa League 2021 betting odds place them as favourites to win the tournament, but the Serie A side has a big incentive and enough quality to run their hosts close.
I can see a 2-1 home win, and I’m hedging with a one-goal margin for a 1-1 or 2-0.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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