We’ve got a stacked Europa League spread on Thursday, featuring a marquee showdown between Roma and Stuttgart. It’s a match with huge Round of 16 implications as we near the end of the league stage, and it’ll be a knockout atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Roma enters with the strongest odds of pulling off a victory, currently listed at +105 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Stuttgart sits at +245 on the moneyline, while a draw is priced at +265. The total is set at 2.5 goals.
Let’s dig into a preview and prediction for this Roma-Stuttgart contest.
Roma vs. Stuttgart prediction, pick
Going into Thursday’s match, Roma and Stuttgart are tied in the Europa League standings. Eight teams automatically advance to the Round of 16, while teams 9 through 24 in the standings advance to a playoff qualifying round. Roma and Stuttgart are tied for ninth. With neither team having locked up its spot in the next round, both clubs are hungry for a win to crack the top eight. But before we can decide who wins this clash, we need to get to know these teams a bit better.
Roma’s strength is through the middle of the pitch. Mile Svilar backstops the team as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. Evan Ndicka headlines a strong back line of three center halves. The team’s real strength comes from the midfield, led by Manu Koné. The French youngster has been an excellent box-to-box midfielder for the club since arriving from Borussia Monchengladbach. His defensive midfield partner, Bryan Cristante, has been a fixture in Serie A for a decade. Lorenzo Pellegrini, more of an attacking midfielder, has been alongside Cristante the whole time, providing consistent goal involvement. And though he never lived up to the hype created at Juventus, Paulo Dybala can still put up brilliant attacking performances.
The real gem of the midfield is Argentine youngster Matías Soulé. An exceptional dribbler and passer, Soulé practically lives in opposing boxes, consistently creating opportunities for himself and teammates. He’s the kind of talent that can break a game wide open when he’s on.
A name to watch in this one is Donyell Malen. The veteran Dutch striker just joined the club on loan from Aston Villa and scored on his debut against Torino. Perhaps he’s the kind of savvy finishing talent that these midfielders need up top.
Stuttgart are no strangers to attacking talent. The German side fields a native top three of Deniz Undav, Jamie Leweling, and Chris Führich. That trio has combined for 26 goal involvements in Bundesliga play. Consistent service from Angelo Stiller, a rising star in the midfield, ties this group together.
Stiller’s status bears watching here. Arguably the most valuable player on the squad, a lingering groin injury could keep him out of this contest. It would take a lot of wind out of their sails, as Stuttgart are 5-2-0 since suffering a brutal 5-0 thrashing at the hands of German powerhouse Bayern Munich. Even with Stiller, the metrics don’t favor Stuttgart overall. Still, they’ve played themselves into a Champions League position in the Bundesliga for a reason: they know how to buckle down and win points.
The looming injury questions, plus the momentum Roma has generated with a new lineup fixture, make me skeptical of an upset. It’s tough to pick against Roma at home, so I’m backing them to pick up the victory and stake their claim for a top-eight spot.
