AS Roma – BATE Borisov

AS Roma takes on BATE Borisov at Olimpico in a Champions League decider, as three teams are fighting for the 2nd and 3rd place. Barcelona has already won the group, Roma has 5 points, Leverkusen 5 points and BATE Borisov 4 points.

The Italians are in a good position right now, as they are tied with Leverkusen for the 2nd spot but have a much easier match and also lead in the Head 2 Head department. This being said, a win for Roma would guarantee them a place in the Champions League quarterfinals, but a draw will be enough as well, as long as Leverkusen does not defeat Barcelona. However, Roma will be concerned with the fact that they have not won in the last 4 matches and also lost 3-2 against BATE (after trailing 3-0) earlier in this group.

The visitors made a good impression this season in the Champions League and they had a very good season overall in all competitions. This is one of the better sides BATE had in the last decade, but even so they were not able to do much damage on the road, where they lost 3-0 to Barcelona and 4-1 to Leverkusen. They recorded a 1-1 home draw against Bayer in the last Champions League matchday, giving themselves a chance to qualify.

Bet on Roma vs. BATE Borisov with the best Champions League odds at 1xBet.com.

Team news & lineups:

Totti, Strootman, Gervinho and Salah continue to be out for Roma. BATE Borisov can field the best lineup, as there are no injuries or suspensions for the visitors.

AS Roma: Szczesny – Florenzi, Manolas, Castan, Digne – De Rossi, Pjanic, Nainggolan – Iturbe, Dzeko, Falque

BATE Borisov: Chernik – Zhavnerchik, Polyakov, Milunovic, Mladenovic – Volodjko, Yablonski – Hleb, Gordeychuk, Rios – Mozolevski

Roma has to win this, as Leverkusen has a decent shot at defeating a weakened and relaxed Barcelona team in Germany. While I don’t expect it to be particularly easy for Roma and BATE will surely come to play, the hosts should be able to get the three points and cover a handicap as well.

Roma has been in poor form lately, but hosting BATE should help them get back on track. Interestingly, a draw or a loss would be the same for BATE, they will still finish fourth, so they can’t just sit back, defending a draw. The Borisov outfit needs a win, which will qualify them for the next Champions League round or, if Leverkusen beats Barcelona, for the Europa League. Though obviously BATE won’t go all out attack, this might give Roma the chance to find some open spaces and get their offense going – an offense which did not look good lately.

The Italians will be fully focused, they won’t take BATE lightly after what happened in the first leg and for the visitors it will be much more difficult to play on the road. BATE can be a pesky opponent in the comfort of their own home, where it’s tough for Western European teams to come and play, but on the road they were trashed by both Barcelona and Leverkusen. My tip is AS Roma to win with a 1,25 goal asian handicap. The hosts should get in front at some point and than exploit BATE’s desperation, getting a second goal. Prediction: AS Roma – BATE Borisov 2-0.

Pick: AS Roma (-1,25 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 1.76 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 6.08
Event date: 9 December