UEL 2022-23: AS Roma vs Real Sociedad: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

UEFA Europa League Round of 16 is kicking off this Thursday with one of the most interesting match up in the tournament

With the first leg of UEFA Europa League Round of 16 to be kicked off this Thursday, LaLiga side Real Sociedad take on Serie A side AS Roma in Stadio Olimpico in the Italian capital.

With both the side sitting in fourth position of their respective leagues tables, this match might get be a lot more interesting. Both the sides have never faced each other in any European competitions in the past and this will be the first time they will go head-to-head. With Sociedad having a good record in the Europa League this season with five wins in their six group matches and Roma winning the last four home matches, it will a great treat to watch this two teams go head to head for the very first time.

Kick-off:

Thursday, 09-03-2023; 05:45 pm (GMT), 11:15 pm (IST)

AS Roma form (in all competitions): W-D-W-L-W

Real Sociedad form (in all competitions): L-W-D-L-D

Player to watch

AS Roma:  Lorenzo Pellegrini

With three goals and three assists so far in Europa League this season, club captain Lorenzo Pellegrini has proved to be an important factor in Jose Mourinho’s squad. He has led the attack for his side plenty of times in this campaign and has been a key player in the midfield with making a lot of key passes and creating chances in the final third for the team. With Dybala on his side, these two can put up a show on the pitch which can help Roma take the advantage at home.

Real Sociedad: Robert Navarro

Just 20 years old and ruling the midfield for the whites and blues, Spanish international Robert Navarro has two goals and two assists under his belt in just four matches in the group stage of the Europa League. He might not be a regular starter for Imanol Alguacil’s side in La Liga but he has proved his potential a lot of times in the Europa League and if he gets a start he might pull offs some tricks to help Real Sociedad in winning this match.

Match Facts

• Roma has won just two of their last 15 major European matches against Spanish teams (D3 L10), while Real Sociedad has only won one of its six major European matches against Italian teams (D2 L3).
• Roma has only lost twice in their previous 33 home games in significant European competition (W24 D7), but both losses came from Spanish teams:  A 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid in November 2018 and a 2-1 defeat to Real Betis in the Europa League this season.
• Real Sociedad was the only team to keep three clean sheets in away matches throughout the group stages, winning all three of their UEFA Europa League away games without allowing a goal.
•  José Mourinho, the manager of Roma, has won 14 of his 16 home games in the UEFA Europa League (D1 L1). The two games he has lost have been against Spanish teams: A 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo with Manchester United in May 2017 and A 1-2 defeat against Real Betis this season with his current club.

Teams and Injury News

AS Roma injury list consists of midfielder Ebrima Darboe who has been sidelined for a long-term injury since July last year and defender Ola Solbakken who has missed the last game against Juventus because of a muscle injury is likely misses out here also.

Real Sociedad has attackers Umar Sadiq and Martin Merquelanz who have been out injured since September 2022 and September 2021 respectively. With the major concern being defender Artiz Elustondo out injured with an ankle injury for the since January.

Head-to-Head Stats

Matches: 0

AS Roma: 0

Real Sociedad: 0

Draws: 0

Predicted Lineups

AS Roma predicted lineup (3-4-2-1):

Rui Patricio, Ibanez, Smalling, Mancini,Spinazzola, Matic, Cristante, Zalewski, Wijnaldum, Pellegrini, Dybala.

Real Sociedad predicted lineup (4-3-1-2):

Remiro, Gorosabel, Zubeldia, Normand, Rico, Mendez, Zubimendi, Kubo, Navarro, Silva, Oyarzabal.

Match Prediction

It will be a difficult match to predict as both the sides are going head to head for the very first time. But when you look at the recent performance of both the squad, AS Roma has shown to have an upper hand in many aspects.

Recently defeated Juventus in their last match in Serie A and winning their last four home matches it will be a difficult task for Real Soceidad who were unable to score a single goal in their last two matches. But if they continue to perform as they did in the group stages of the competition, Roma can be taken by surprise by the Spanish side and the tables can turn towards Real Sociedad’s way in the Italian capital.

Prediction:  AS Roma 1 - 0 Real Soceidad

Telecast:

India – Sony Sports Network, Jio TV, Sony LIV

UK – BT Sport, BT Sports App

US – CBS Sports Network, CBS, Univision, fuboTV, Paramount+