UEFA Europa Conference League: Leicester City vs. AS Roma Preview, Odds, Prediction

Leicester and AS Roma are the second pair in the Europa Conference League semifinals. Both teams would like to win this competition, save the season, and add one respectable piece of silverware to their collection. While Leicester never before reached this deep in Europe, Jose Mourinho and Roma have. Leicester has mixed results recently, the same as the Italians, yet that could be because they have kept themselves fresh for this event. The game takes place at the Kings Power Stadium in Leicester, ahead of some 30,000 spectators.

Preview

Leicester (+120) didn’t win in the past three games, losing to Newcastle on the road, 2-1, and after that posting two draws at Goodison 1-1, and at home vs. Aston Villa, 0-0. Despite dominating in that one, the Foxes couldn’t create something more to beat Gerrard’s unit.

That was the first match in the past five without a moderate efficiency, and overall, eight of the past ten events have seen two or three goals. It is somewhat a usual range of goals in the events with Leicester involved.

Despite the recent “decline” in form, the Foxes are unbeatable at home, not losing in the last nine events, recording five wins and four draws. King Power is a true stronghold for them this year.

AS Roma (+220) didn’t win in the past two derbies in the Serie A championship, both on the road in Naples, 1-1 and at Meazza, where Inter pretty dominantly defeated them, 3-1.

Though, that is of no concern to Mourinho, who is long gone from the title race and has only minimal chances to reach the UCL spot and a ticket to that competition. The only thing that obsesses the Portuguese manager is to win ECL and become the first manager with all the European trophies.

Roma has played efficient football in the past few weeks, with four of the previous five games being with over 2.5 goals and both teams netting.

Latest News

Ryan Bertrand, Ndidi, and Soumare are all out for the hosts due to various injuries. The first two have knee issues and the latter groin injury.

On the other hand, Brian Cristante is the only one who is injured and who won’t play for sure. The detailed report on the Italian isn’t available.

Head to Head Games

There haven’t been any official or unofficial meetings between these two sides. While Roma presents a big name on the continent and has a rich international history, the Foxes are new to this and have been on the big stage in the last few years. After that glorious title from a few years ago, they have been frequently in Europe.

Prediction

The stakes are high, and apart from that, both managers like to play a bit defensive-minded games. Rodgers and Mourinho usually look to protect their goals first, not necessarily to park a bus (Mourinho not with Roma), but they will for sure be cautious. That is why we think that moderate efficiency, that is 2 or 3 goals, presents the best choice for this event. The odds on that are +105, which is more than good, as it doubles the stakes.

Pick: 2 or 3 goals +105

Here are the previews for the Europa League semis:

• West Ham vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
• RB Leipzig vs. Glasgow Rangers

Here are the previews for the Europa Conference League semis:

• Feyenoord vs. Olimpique Marseille