Servette vs AS Roma prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-11-29 20:00.
Four points from their back-to-back clashes with fellow Group G minnows Sheriff Tiraspol, including an impressive late turnaround to beat Sheriff in their last UEFA Europa League (UEL) match, moved Servette to within five points of Roma who occupy the second and final direct knockout qualification position. With only two matches left to play in Group G, the task is simple for the hosts – beat last season’s competition finalists or their qualification aspirations will be over.
That seems like a mammoth task for a side who have only just celebrated their maiden UEL win, that being in spite of the fact that Servette have attempted 61 shots so far, the most in Group G. Inspiration will likely have to be taken instead from their recent home form ahead of this David vs Goliath looking clash, as at Stade de Genève they’re currently on a six-game winning streak.
Despite qualification being nearly wrapped up, Roma are still battling for top spot in the group until the very end after a 2-0 defeat against Slavia Prague in their last UEL match cancelled out their identical win from matchday three. Worryingly, that was their second consecutive match away from Rome in which they failed to produce a single shot during the first half – something that happened to them for the first time under JosĂ© Mourinho.
This will be the first UEL match of the season with Mourinho on the bench as his four-match UEFA ban is now over and his presence will be much needed for Roma. They’ll need to break their goal duck here, as goal-difference will be the tiebreaker should they end on the same points as Slavia Prague, and that is something the Portuguese coach expects as he previously stated that his team needed to pick up 12 points from their matches against Servette and Sheriff.
Players to watch: Chris Bedia scored the winning goal against Sheriff in his fourth consecutive goalscoring appearance, with three of those strikes coming after half-time. Romelu Lukaku’s record run of 14 consecutive goal-scoring UEL games may be over, but three of his last four such goals have arrived in the opening 25 minutes – including the opener from the reverse fixture.
Hot stat: Roma have failed to score in three competitive away matches in a row for the first time since 2014.