Porto vs. Roma - Europa League Preview, Odds & Prediction

Portuguese heavyweights Porto and Serie A side Roma will meet for the first leg of their playoff on Thursday in competition for a spot in the Europa League's final 16.

Having lost all three previous meetings between the two teams, the Giallorossi, who go for Estadio do Dragao, will now play either Athletic Bilbao or Roma's arch-rivals, Lazio.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Porto just avoided an early departure and moved through to the playoffs among sixteen clubs ranked between ninth and twenty-four in the Europa League's final league-phase standings.

Their 1-0 victory against Maccabi Tel Aviv on the last matchday was noteworthy because a tie would have seen Braga, a compatriot, ousted.

Just arriving from Mexican side Cruz Azul, new coach Martin Anselmi guided the Dragons to triumph on his dugout debut as they recovered from a devastating home loss to Olympiacos one week earlier.

Rio Ave in the Primeira Liga then drew them 2-2; before facing old rivals Sporting Lisbon last weekend, Danny Namaso's remarkable 94th-minute equalizer saved one point, just when it looked like Sporting would win at the Dragao for the first time in nine years.

Apart from falling out of both domestic cups, Porto has now failed to win in five consecutive league games for the first time this century. It is third in the rankings.

Therefore, they will be focused on advancing in the Europa League despite a poor record. Out of their previous 25 knockout games in UEFA competition, the Dragons have only won five; they lost 16, but four of those losses were on home ground.

In another sense, history will be in their favor because the Portuguese team has advanced in all three previous ties against Roma: the 1981-1982 Cup Winners' Cup, the 2016-2017 Champions League qualifiers, and lastly, the Champions League's last sixteen six years ago.

On that occasion, after extra time, Porto eked out a 4-3 aggregate victory, but Roma's recent European exploits suggest that the Italian team could be set to break that run.

Conference League champions in 2022, before making it to the final and then semi-finals of UEFA's second-tier event in the next season, the Giallorossi - who finished one point above their league phase hosts -

Not likely to escape even the first round this year, Roma triumphed outstandingly 2-0 against Eintracht Frankfurt on the penultimate matchday, securing their playoff spot and creating a possible last-16 confrontation with city rivals Lazio.

Like Porto, the capital-city team is playing under par on the domestic front. After Sunday's 1-0 victory over Venezia, it ranked ninth in Serie A and just left the Coppa Italia.

Following a protracted period of uncertainty at Stadio Olimpico, interim coach Claudio Ranieri, who will head his childhood club until the end of the season, has calmed the ship and would like to round off a legendary career by raising some medals.

To achieve this, however, the 73-year-old needs to break two terrible records: Raneri has lost nine of his last 11 knockout games in European play, and all three games he oversaw in his past tenure as Roma coach ended in 3-2 losses.

Moreover, the Giallorossi had only won three of their past nineteen Europa League games away from home before embarking on a tour of northern Portugal.

Porto x Roma Team News

Starting behind a 3-4-2-1 configuration, Martin Anselmi has employed a back three since coming at Porto and should continue against opponents that often line up similarly.

While the hosts may now rely upon Nico Gonzalez, who scored the winner in their last league-phase match before heading to Manchester City, Ivan Marcano, Marko Grujic, and Martim Fernandes are still out by injury.

Although top striker Samu Aghehowa may not have scored in any of his past six Europa League games, the Spain international has already registered five times this season. Part of Rodrigo Mora's supporting cast might be a teenage superstar.

Ze Pedro may slide from the starting XI with Brazilian center-back Otavio returning from suspension.

If booked, Danny Namaso will miss the second leg; Roma duo Mats Hummels and Alexis Saelemaekers will also walk that tightrope on Thursday.

Although Leandro Paredes and the latter rested over the weekend, both are scheduled to return with midfielder Manu Kone, who banned Venezia for one match.

Although Lucas Gourna-Douath and Anass Salah-Eddine, other newcomers, have been left off the visitors' UEFA squad list, recent additions Devyne Rensch and Victor Nelsson are also eligible.

Our Predictions

Full time draw @ 3.30 on Sky247.ng

Roma has definitely turned a turnaround after losing seven of the last nine Serie A games, but they still lack road resilience.

Porto, who is now learning the strategies of another new coach, is going through a difficult period personally; hence, the Dragons could have to accept a first-leg draw.

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