Europe Europa League Round 1

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Nice vs Roma Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Nice:
Diouf; Oppong, Bah, Bard; Clauss, Boudaoui, Vanhoutte, Gouveia; Diop, Boga; Moffi

Roma:
Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka; Rensch, Cristante, Kone, Angelino; Soule, Pellegrini; Ferguson

Nice will welcome Roma to the Allianz Riviera on Wednesday evening in UEFA Europa League first round match. The French outfit started the campaign in the Champions League, but suffered elimination after a 4:0 aggregate defeat to Benfica, so they will continue in Europe League. Of course, the fans were disappointed, but that wasn't the only problem. The elimination heavily impacted the atmosphere in the squad, as well as the players confidence. That is why Nice have three defeats in the first five rounds of Ligue 1. They managed to beat Auxerre and Nantes, but lost to Toulouse, Le Havre and Brest. Some of them were truly painful, so coach Franck Haise has a tough job to restore the confidence. To be worse, he has lot of injured players - Dante, Tanguy Ndombele, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Djibril Coulibaly, Ali Abdi and Youssouf Ndayishimiye. Most of them are long-term absentees, but it is still a problem due to limited rotate options, particularly in midfield.

Roma were unlucky to finish fifth in Serie A last season with 69 points. They were also unlucky in their previous European campaign,, losing 4:3 on aggregate by Athletic Bilbao, despite winning the first leg 2:1. An early red card for Mats Hummels and few defensive mistakes were enough Roma to be eliminated, During the Summer Gasperini changed Ranieri on the coaching position and he is already making his mark. Roma have started the new season in solid way. They managed to register three victories in the opening four rounds of Serie A. The Giallorossi beat Bologna, Pisa and Lazio, but lost to Torino. What is worse, the defeat came at home. However, something else should be mention - all four matches have finished with the same result 1:0. At the end, few words about injury situation. Paulo Dybala is doubtful after being forced off through injury during the match with Torino and missing the Lazio derby. Leon Bailey remain sidelined, while Wesley Franca and Mario Hermoso are unlikely to feature here.

Nice vs Roma Prediction:

I expect a tough match, but if I have to choose, then Roma are my favorites. First of all, coach Gasperini is more experienced tactician compared to Haise. He famously guided Atalanta to Europa League glory in 2024, defeating Bayer Leverkusen in the final. Previously he outsmarted Jurgen Klopp, winning 3:0 at Anfield. The Giallorossi are also successful as club. They lifted the Conference League trophy in 2022 and reached the Europa League final in 2023. Finally, the Italian outfit are in better form. Roma have won three of their four matches, conceding just one goal in the process. On contrary, Nice have three defeats in the opening five matches, conceding seven goals.

Nice vs Roma Pick: Roma to win @ 2.33 with Pinnacle