Roma – Real Sociedad

Roma will not start the 1/8 finals with a win

The teams will begin their showdown in the Europa League 1/8 finals in Rome. The local side, who won the Conference League last season, are trying to spend as little effort as possible in Europa League matches to progress through the tournament. Jose Mourinho's side were in the same quartet as Betis, Ludogorets and HJK in the group stage. They made it to the play-offs in their last game against their direct rival Ludogorets. The Romans lost their first play-off game in Salzburg but managed to level their opponents' advantage by scoring one more goal on home soil. Real Sociedad competed against Manchester United in the group, scoring the same number of points as the Mancunians but coming first in extra-time. At the expense of that, the Basques missed out on the 1/16 finals. Before the meeting at the Olimpico, bookmakers have identified the home side as the favourites, with odds of 2.13 to win. Roma fail to cope with playing on two fronts. Immediately after their home win over Salzburg, the team travelled to Serie A to play Cremonese, whom they lost 1-2. Given that the opponents are in the relegation zone, Mourinho is hardly capable of justifying such a result. Their UEFA Europa League clash will be played between the Romans and Juventus and Sassuolo, who Roma have failed to beat in recent years. Whether, with such a schedule, the Roman team will be able to focus on Real Sociedad and make the most of their playing resources is a rhetorical question. Not only will the Basque club arrive in Rome with considerably more football hunger for European victories, but they can also afford to be fully focused on their opponent. This coming Sunday, Real Sociedad face a match against a reasonably comfortable Mallorca. The Basques occupy a place in the Champions League zone in the Primera, competing for it only with Betis. Real Sociedad suffered a number of miscues on the domestic scene in February but picked up points against Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. In Rome, the Basque club will use their own weapons against Roma, setting up tight defensive lines on their own half with the expectation of a counterattack. It's a safe bet that the visitors will not lose.