Astra – AS Roma

Francesco Totti should get a rare start for AS Roma, as the already qualified Italians will face an Astra team which needs a win to be sure of qualification. However, Astra will qualify with any result as long as Austria Wien does not win in Plzen. The match will be played in Bucharest, as Astra’s stadium is not licensed for Europa League matches.

The fact that Astra has a good chance to qualify for the next stage is a small miracle. The Romanian champions lost half of their starting eleven in the summer transfer window, including 4 of their best 5 players. They had and are having all kinds of problems, particularly financial and they are on the 9th place (out of 14) in the poor Romanian league. However, they somehow found an extra gear in Europe and even though they were lucky to win against Plzen and Austria Wien, they still deserve a lot of credit.

AS Roma already won the group and will field a second string lineup in Romania, strengthened with a few veterans, including Francesco Totti. The visitors are in fantastic form, winning 3 matches in a row and scoring 9 goals in the process. They are on the back of a 2-0 win against rivals Lazio, so they will come to Romania confident, looking to have fun playing the game.

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Possible AS Roma lineup: Becker – Rudiger, Vermaelen, Jesus, Seck – Gerson, Strootman – Iturbe, Totti, El Shaarawy – Franchi

Astra is definitely a little bit lucky to be in this position and even though AS Roma will have no motivation, the visitors are still favorites. Their second string players will be eager to prove their worth and Roma`s unforgiving offense will be a massive challenge for the Romanians – especially as Astra does not defend well at all and plays much better on the road.

Considering the above, I expect Roma to score a few goals in this game and I believe the most likely man to find the net is Francesco Totti himself.

The Roma legend is widely expected to get a rare start in this match and he will be the focal point of Roma’s attacks – just like it was in the first leg against Astra. He failed to score in that 4-0 Roma win, but had 2 assists, hit the post and single handedly created another goal. He got a lot of time with the ball at his feet and he was very unlucky not to find the net.

Totti is sure to seek a goal in this one, as he hasn`t scored in some time, he is fresh and rested and won`t get many more opportunities to score for Roma – at least not in Europe.

When we add the fact that Totti will take penalties and free kicks and looking at the odds, a bet on him to score makes sense. My tip is Totti anytime goalscorer. Low stakes obviously – I recommend 3-4 units, as this kind of bet is always a gamble, but I feel the value is clearly there. Prediction: Astra Giurgiu – AS Roma 1-2.

Pick: Totti anytime goalscorer
Odds: 3.25 @ Bet365
Stake: 4
Possible profit: 9
Event date: 8 December