Roma vs. Young Boys – Europa League, December 3, 2020

Roma will be aiming to extend their unbeaten streak in the Europa League when BSC Young Boys visit Stadio Olimpico on Thursday, December 3.

Having picked up ten points from a possible 12, the Italians sit three points clear of second-place YB in Group A. With CSKA Sofia and CFR Cluj trailing behind, both these teams will be confident of qualifying for the Round of 32.

You can find my Roma vs. Young Boys prediction and betting pick below.

Roma (1.86) secured a hard-fought comeback victory over Young Boys (3.65) on Matchday 1, and it seems as though the leading online sportsbooks haven’t forgotten about that.

However, the price for the home win is higher than I expected it to be here. This suggests that YB won’t be an easy opponent.

The previous encounter between these two sides was close. YB took an early lead through a Jean-Pierre Nsame penalty, but second-half strikes from Bruno Peres and Marash Kumbulla eventually saw Roma come out on top.

Since then, Paulo Fonseca’s men have only lost one of their eight games in all competitions, with a run of five straight wins coming in November. After drawing with CSKA Sofia on Matchday 2, Roma crushed Cluj both home (5-0) and away (0-2).

Three consecutive domestic victories saw Roma shoot up the Serie A table, yet the club from the capital was thrashed 4-0 by Napoli on Sunday. Needless to say, the Giallorossi will be desperate to get back on track and return to winning ways on Thursday.

Looking at the bigger picture, Fonseca’s side has only suffered two defeats in 2020/21. Considering that Roma has played 13 matches in all competitions, that is a seriously strong record.

"We know we didn’t perform, although credit has to go to Napoli too for a good display.

"We have to put this game behind us, if we start to think negatively it won’t help. We have to stay positive and make sure we learn from it."
#ASRoma #NapoliRoma
https://t.co/pLzOdv17ZR

— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) November 30, 2020

Young Boys also head into Matchday 5 on an eye-catching run. The Swiss champions are yet to lose a domestic game this term, while their only Europa League defeat came against Roma back in October.

Gerardo Seoane’s side is unbeaten in their previous seven outings, with five wins and two draws coming during that period. YB drew with Cluj on Matchday 2, before back-to-back clean-sheet victories over Sofia propelled the club into contention for the Round of 32.

In fact, the Bern outfit has achieved four shutouts in their last five matches, meaning the team has only conceded three goals in eight Super League games. Goalkeeper David von Ballmoos has been solid between the sticks, while young center-back Mohamed Camara has been a standout performer in the heart of YB’s defense.

Seoane’s men will know that win on Thursday would all but secure them a place in the next round. It may be difficult for them to claim all three points in Rome, but they will be confident of snatching a draw.

Roma has been a tough opponent so far this season. It feels like the Italians are ready to compete on all fronts in 2020/21, but let’s not forget that YB has also been playing some top-quality soccer in recent weeks.

Of course, the Giallorossi is expected to win. But I can see the Swiss side getting something from this match. With juicy odds of 3.75, I believe the draw is the way to go here.