FC Porto Vs. AS Roma Prediction: Keep Drag Fire Record At Estadio Do Dragao

Jo Wayrio has a good record with Porto at home (photo: x @FCPorto)

FC Porto and AS Roma will meet in the first leg of the Europa League playoffs on Thursday 13 February or Friday morning WIB. Both teams are competing to win a place in the round of 16, where the winner of this match will face the winner between Athletic Bilbao and Lazio.

History does not side with Rome, as the Giallorossi have always lost their previous three meetings with Porto. However, with their quite impressive track record in European competitions in recent seasons, Claudio Ranieri's side have the opportunity to change the poor record.

Porto had to fight hard to reach this playoffs after finishing 9 to 24 in the Europa League league phase. A narrow 1-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the final match of the group phase determines their success, as a draw alone will see them eliminated by fellow Portuguese club Braga.

Under the direction of new coach Martin Anselmi, who recently joined from Mexican club Cruz Azul, Porto showed resilience. Despite suffering a painful defeat at home to Olympiacos, they got up with a dramatic 2-2 draw against Rio Ave and saved a point from Sporting Lisbon thanks to an equalizer in the 94th minute from Danny Namaso.

Currently, Porto is in third place in the Primeira League with a considerable distance from the top of the standings. They have also been knocked out of two domestic competitions. Even more worrying, Porto failed to win in their last five league games, something that has never happened in this century.

Despite this, they still hope to advance further in the Europa League, although their record in the knockout stages of European competitions is not too impressive. Porto have only won five of their last 25 knockout stages in the UEFA competition, with 16 defeats. However, four of the victories were won at home, which became a positive capital ahead of the meeting with Roma.

On the historical side, Porto has a big advantage, because in the previous three meetings they always won over Roma, both in the 1981-82 Cup Winners, the 2016-17 Champions League qualifying round, and the last 16 of the Champions League six years ago.

On the other hand, Roma have had quite a successful history in European competitions in recent years. They won the European Conference League in 2022, then reached the Europa League final in 2023, and the semifinals in 2024.

Roma qualified for this playoffs by finishing one point above Porto in the league phase. They secured a place with a convincing 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the last match.

However, Roma's domestic performance is quite disappointing this season. They are currently ranked ninth in Serie A after a narrow 1-0 win over Venezia in the last game. In addition, they have also just been knocked out of the Coppa Italia.

Claudio Ranieri, who returned to his boyhood club as an interim coach until the end of the season, has brought little stability to the team. However, a big challenge awaits the 73-year-old coach if he wants to close his career with a trophy.

Unfortunately, Ranieri's record in European competitions was quite bad, with nine defeats to her last 11 matches in the knockout stages. In addition, in the previous two terms dealing with Roma, all European knockout matches ended in a 3-2 defeat.

Roma's away record in the Europa League is also inconclusive. They only won three of the last 19 matches in this event while playing outside the home. With a record like this, they must perform much better if they want to achieve positive results in Portugal.

Martin Anselmi is expected to continue using the 3-4-2-1 formation he has applied since joining Porto. Diogo Costa will guard the net behind three defenders, while the midfield will be escorted by Stephen Eustaquio and Alan Varela.

Porto still lost several players with injuries, such as Ivan Marcano, Marko Grujic, and Martim Fernandes. They can no longer rely on Nico Gonzalez, who scored the winning goal in the final match of the group stage before moving to Manchester City.

Di lini depan, Samu Aghehowa kemungkinan besar tetap menjadi pilihan utama meskipun ia gagal mencetak gol dalam enam pertandingan terakhirnya. Rodrigo Mora, bintang muda Porto, bisa berperan sebagai pendampingnya di lini serangan.

Good news for Porto is the return of Brazilian defender Otavio from suspension, who will most likely replace Ze Pedro in starting XI.

Meanwhile, Roma will lose some players due to UEFA's policy regarding the squad list, with Lucas Gourna-Douath and Anass Salah-Eddine not included in the list of players for this competition.

However, they can re-dependent on Matsxides and Alexis Saelemaekers, who have the potential to miss the second leg if they receive a yellow card in this match. Leandro Paredes and Manu Kone, who had been rested in Serie A's last match, are also ready to return to the main line-up.

Devyne Rensch and Victor Nelsson, two new recruits, could be additional options for Ranieri.

With history in favor of Porto and Roma's poor record in the Europa League away game, this match is predicted to be a tough challenge for the Giallorossi. Porto had the advantage of playing at home and a good record against Roma in the past, but they also had to be wary of the visitors' attacking lines that could potentially be difficult.

Can Porto maintain their dominance over Roma, or will the Giallorossi finally break the curse in Portugal? The answer will be revealed in the fierce battle at the Estadio do Dragao.

Porto (3-4-2-1):Costa; Djalo, Perez, Otavio; Mario, Eustaquio, Varela, Moura; Pepe, Mora; Aghehowa

Roma (3-4-2-1):Svilar; Mancini,ploys, Ndicka; Saelemaekers, Kone, Paredes, Angelino; Dybala, PIsilli; Dovbyk