Brighton & Hove Albion have a mountain to climb in the Europa League as they welcome AS Roma to the AMEX after losing 4-0 in the first leg of the round of 16 encounter.
To keep it short, Brighton were taken to the cleaners by I Giallorossi last week. Goals from Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku handed Roma a 2-0 lead heading into half-time.
Gianluca Mancini and Bryan Cristante also got on the scoresheet in the second half to ensure Brighton walked away from the Italian capital with their tail firmly between their legs. No team has overturned a four-goal deficit from the first leg of a Europa League tie to advance to the next round.
Brighton will look to take heart from their 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest this past weekend but it was still not the sort of performance that galvanizes a side to achieve historic feats.
Meanwhile, Roma continue to garner more wind in their sails under new manager Daniele De Rossi. Pressing on from their 4-0 thrashing of the Seagulls in midweek, Roma managed to share the spoils with Fiorentina on Sunday (10 March) thanks to a last-gasp equalizer from Diego Llorente.
Roma have lost only once since De Rossi took the club's reins in mid-January. He has won eight of his 11 matches so far. But Roma's trips to England have hardly been memorable, winning in just one of their previous 22 visits.
But a four-goal advantage will instil a sense of security as they hit the road for Thursday's encounter.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs AS Roma Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This will only be the second-ever European meeting between Roma and Brighton. Roma won the first leg 4-0. No side has overturned a four-goal deficit from the first leg of a two-legged Europa League knockout tie to progress.
- Roma have won just one of their 22 away games in England in European competition. It was a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the round of 16 of the 2000-01 UEFA Cup.
- Roma have not picked up a win in their last seven away games in the knockout stages of a major European competition. Their last such win came against Vitesse (1-0) in the Conference League in March 2022.
- Romelu Lukaku has bagged seven goals in the Europa League this season, one short of his record in a season in the competition.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs AS Roma Prediction
Roma have done poorly on their visits to England, and Brighton are difficult to get the better off at the AMEX. Roma will likely take the cautious route here and look to frustrate the Seagulls. With Brighton set to go all out, Roma might concede a narrow loss here but still make it to the quarter-finals rather comfortably.
Prediction: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Roma (Roma to win 5-2 on aggregate)
Brighton & Hove Albion vs AS Roma Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Brighton & Hove Albion to win
Tip 2: Game to have over 2.5 goals - Yes
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes