AS Roma vs HJK prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2022-09-14 19:00.
A Paulo Dybala inspired 2-1 win over Empoli on Monday night halted Romaâs two-game losing streak which included a surprise 2-1 defeat in their UEFA Europa League (UEL) opener at Ludogorets last week. Boss JosĂ© Mourinho felt âthe performance was enough to winâ that game in Bulgaria but recognised that after losing there was now âpressureâ to win and âcollect all three pointsâ here. Although that was Mourinhoâs second straight UEL defeat, he has won 17 of his 26 matches in the competition (D4, L5), so he wonât be overly concerned just yet.
Roma return to the Stadio Olimpico where they have won both matches this season âto-nilâ and also hold their longest unbeaten home run in European competition (W13, D6). That includes five wins in their journey to last seasonâs UEFA Europa Conference League title, with Roma netting 3+ goals in four of those.
HJK Helsinki started their UEL campaign with an expected defeat at home to Real Betis (2-0) last week, but coach Toni Koskela will have been pleased by his side's reaction. A 2-1 win over Honka on Sunday in domestic competition saw them win the regular league season by two points, as they go in search of a third consecutive domestic title.
Trying to avoid a similar fate to their only previous UEL campaign in 2014/15, when HJK lost each of their three away matches, the Finns will hope to take advantage of their current form, as the Betis defeat was the only blemish across their last 11 competitive outings (W8, D2).
Players to watch: After scoring for Roma against Ludogorets last week, Eldor Shomurodovâs last two UEL goals have both come in 2-1 defeats. Despite seeing his goal against Betis being disallowed by VAR, Malik Abubakari still remains HJKâs last European scorer after he opened the scoring in their final UEL qualifying match.
Hot streak: None of HJKâs last 21 European matches (excluding qualifiers) have ended as a draw (W5, L16).