After their victory in the 2022 Europa Conference League under José Mourinho, Daniele De Rossi’s AS Roma have struggled to find consistency this season. The team began their league campaign with two draws and a defeat.
They opened with a goalless draw against Cagliari, followed by a disappointing 2-1 loss at home to Empoli. In their third match, they managed another draw. Following these results, Roma played against Genoa and prepared to host Udinese.
On the other side, Athletic Bilbao, a club with a prestigious history of 8 Spanish league titles and 24 Copa del Rey trophies, remains a respected force in Spanish football. Bilbao’s recruitment strategy, focused on players of Basque origin or descent, is a unique hallmark of the club.
Their start to this season has been average, with one win, one loss, and two draws. Last season, Bilbao finished 5th, earning direct qualification for the Europa League. Since then, they’ve played matches against Las Palmas and Leganes away, and faced Celta Vigo at home.
AS Roma has seen several key players depart over the years, leading the club to strengthen its squad with new signings. They brought in Artem Dovbyk (€30 million from Girona), Matias Soulé (€25 million from Juventus), and Enzo Le Fée (€23 million).
On the other hand, Roma said goodbye to Houssem Aouar (who moved to Al-Hilal for €12 million), Joao Costa (to Al-Ettifaq for €9 million), and Tammy Abraham (on loan to AC Milan).
In contrast, Athletic Bilbao made waves by retaining Nico Williams, despite interest from Barcelona. His brother, Iñaki Williams, also remains with the club. Bilbao has faced injury concerns with long-term doubts over Unai Simon and Alvarez.
The club had a relatively quiet transfer window, with Unai Núñez leaving for Celta Vigo (€7 million), and the only significant signing being Alvaro Djalo from Braga for €15 million.
Prediction
Athletic Bilbao have been successful on their Europa League travels, picking up points from 15 matches, all of which featured under 3.5 goals.
Likewise, seven of AS Roma’s last eight home games in the Europa League have stayed under this goal threshold. With both teams likely to take a cautious approach, this match is expected to be another low-scoring affair.
Prediction: AS Roma 1 : 1 Athletic Bilbao
