The Europa Conference League final is here and two teams with very different styles will be facing off. Italian side AS Roma and Dutch side Feyenoord Rotterdam go head to head in Tirana in the first ever final of this competition.
Form Guide: Roma
Jose Mourinho, the Roma coach, is a specialist in playing finals, and one major expectation is that he will roll out a defensive strategy. This will not mean his side’s attacking threat will be diminished; Tammy Abraham comes into this game on a very good scoring run and as he wraps up the season, he’d want to lead Roma to continental silverware.
Roma didn’t have a great run towards the end of the Serie A campaign, winning just once in their final six matches. A 3-0 win away to Torino on the final day prepares them perfectly for this encounter while they are unbeaten in the last three Conference League matches. Roma have one loss in nine Conference League matches, won five, and six of the last 10 have seen over 2.5 goals scored.
Form Guide: Feyenoord
Feyenoord suffered a shock loss in their closing game of the Eredivisie campaign, falling 2-1 at home to Twente. It was a game with no competitive meaning though, with Feyenoord having confirmed a third-place finish. This one will need all their competitive abilities to come out though. Feyenoord has lost once in the last 11 matches and will be looking to impose themselves here.
Their style of play is more attacking and they will need this a lot, as they face a side managed by a very defensive coach. Feyenoord has failed to score in just one of their last 21 matches but they have just two clean sheets in the last 18 matches.
The two clean sheets have both come in the last five games but one common feature here has been over 2.5 goals. In their last 15 matches, 11 have produced over 2.5 goals. Four times in the last five Conference League matches.
How the game could go
Roma battled well and showed their quality before leaving Leicester with a win in the second leg of their semi-final fixture, and, with the benefit of a passionate and hostile home crowd, they did get one better in the second leg.
On one side, Roma are going to be very careful. That is, Mourinho will try to prevent any negative surprises, and he will close all the paths toward his goal. On the other side, Feyenoord won’t change their style of play, that is for sure because they simply don’t know how to play in any other way than to attack all the time.
This game is expected to take off with great pace right at the start, being the final, and as the teams go for an early advantage. However, we expect a clash of strategies with Roma lining up more defensively, but we can’t rule out goals, having the two leading scorers in the tournament facing off. These two sides also have goals in them, especially Feyenoord, and we will go with over 2.5 goals here.
Betting Predictions
Roma to win
Roma and Feyenoord come out to play this game after following the identical results of the recent games, having two wins, two draws, and one defeat. But the Special One would be more optimistic in this duel as they are unbeaten in two H2Hs against Feyenoord, winning one of them. Roma are also undefeated in the last two attempts. Hence, we back the Yellow and Reds to continue the sequence and confirm the title with a victory. Bet9ja have 2.40, 1xbet have 2.41 and Paripesa have 2.41 odds.
Over 2.5 Goals
The last H2H between these teams have ended with over 2.5 goals and we can see the repetition in this game. Roma got a victory in style where they bashed three goals, playing away from home. The Club of the People have also collected a total of seven goals in the last five games, scoring at least once in the four of the last five away games. Feyenoord have the best attack in the Conference League this season with 174 shots while Roma have “only” 154. The two teams managed to score almost the same number of goals – Feyenoord scored 28 and Roma scored 27. Bet9ja have 1.88 odds, Paripesa have 1.98, and 1xbet have 1.98 odds.
Anytime Goalscorer (Roma)
Tammy
England’s forward would be hoping to shine in this final as he could be vital to leading Roma to its first European trophy. He is currently the team’s top scorer and the second top scorer with nine goals in the competition, He has scored in every round since the start of the knockout phase and he could be on the scoresheet here today for Roma. Bet9ja have 2.90 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.50.
Lorenzo Pellegrino
He is second in the goals scoring charts for his team in this competition Lorenzo Pellegrini. He has been a major influence for this Roma side this season with the midfielder scoring five goals in the competition thus far. He featured on the scoresheet for Roma against Torino scoring the final goal to see them take a 3-nil victory in the final game of the season. We are hoping for him to carry that goalscoring form into the final. Bet9ja have 4.25 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 3.30.
Anytime Goalscorer (Feyenoord)
Cyriel DessersThe Nigerian striker is one of the major rivals for Tammy Abraham this season. He has scored 10 goals so far. He managed to score in two consecutive Conference League games. Feyenoord will not have an easy challenge in the final against Roma and we expect Cyriel Dessers to score here today as he has done in the previous knockout games. Bet9ja have 3.60 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 3.20.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
