Roma vs Barcelona Betting Pick | Champions League

Champions League

2018-04-10 - Roma vs Barcelona

A Sports Betting Pick by Auls

Roma v Barcelona
Football: European Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg
Tuesday 10th April 2018 - Kick Off 7:45pm
This game is live on TV

Roma

A late goal in Barcelona has given Roma a mountain to climb as they go into this Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg 4-1 down. This has been a strong campaign for Roma in this competition, but it would be a huge surprise if they are able to make their way into the Champions League Semi Final draw taking place later this week.

There is still a huge battle for Roma to compete in if they wish to make it back to the Champions League next season with Serie A having a number of teams competing for a top four spot. That may be a slight distraction, but Roma should be focused on this Second Leg having been unbeaten in 4 home Champions League ties this season. The side have won their last 3 in a row at home in this competition.

Roma have not won any of their last 3 games in all competitions and do not come into this one with confidence having lost back to back games including a 0-2 home defeat to Fiorentina this past weekend. They have won 3 of their last 9 home games in all competitions and Roma have lost 5 of those games.

Radja Nainggolan returned to action this past weekend.

Barcelona

After failing to make the Champions League Semi Final in three of the last four seasons, Barcelona will be strong favourites to return for the first time since winning the competition in 2015. There are still some questions about Barcelona and how good this current edition is, but any team with Lionel Messi in the starting line up has to be respected.

There have been some good performances from Barcelona in the Champions League this season, but they have also felt a little more vulnerable than in previous years. Home form has been key for Barcelona over the season and they have only won 1 of their 4 away Champions League games so far, although the last 3 have all ended in draws.

Barcelona took another step towards the Spanish domestic title at the weekend and also improved their run to 18 games unbeaten in all competitions. They are also unbeaten in 8 away games in all competitions although Barcelona have had to settle for draws in 3 of their last 4 on their travels.

Head to Head

This is the third time Roma have hosted Barcelona and they are unbeaten in the previous 2 games.

They last met here in the 2015/16 season in a fixture that ended 1-1.

Prediction

The First Leg has effectively taken this tie away from Roma but they will want to show some pride when the Second Leg takes place in front of their own fans in the Italian capital.

One problem with being down by such a large margin is keeping the fans involved in the tie when it looks like the gap is too big to bridge.

However it should also means the Roma players can perform with some freedom with nothing to lose against their more illustrious visitors.

Barcelona might just have put their remaining focus on the Champions League this season with the Spanish title almost in the bag and a place in the Copa Del Rey Final secured. However this Barcelona team does not look as strong as the one that won the Champions League in 2015 and they have struggled for performances and results away from the Nou Camp.

On the other hand Roma have played well at home in the Champions League and have won their last 3 ties here.

My fear for Roma is the fact that they are chasing this Second Leg which could see them picked off by a Barcelona team that still contains Lionel Messi. That could easily be the outcome of this one, but Roma have shown they are tough to beat at home and Barcelona have struggled for wins away from home in the Champions League over the last thirteen months.

Roma's recent form in Italy has been disappointing too, but they may just be able to challenge Barcelona in this Second Leg and give them something to think about. Backing the home team with the start on the Asian Handicap should give us a run with Barcelona not as strong as they once were, although I am looking for Roma to show plenty of pride here and not chase the big deficit they are in.

The Statistics :

ROMA_AS LAST SIX HOME FORM
	DATE	RESULT		OPPOSITION
	2018-03-13	W	1-0	H v Shaktar_Donetsk
	2017-12-05	W	1-0	H v Qarabag
	2017-10-31	W	3-0	H v Chelsea
	2017-09-12	D	0-0	H v Atletico_Madrid
	2016-08-23	L	0-3	H v Porto
	2016-02-17	L	0-2	H v Real_Madrid

BARCELONA LAST SIX AWAY FORM
	DATE	RESULT		OPPOSITION
	2018-02-20	D	1-1	A v Chelsea
	2017-11-22	D	0-0	A v Juventus
	2017-10-31	D	0-0	A v Olympiakos
	2017-09-27	W	0-1	A v Sporting_Lisbon
	2017-04-11	L	3-0	A v Juventus
	2017-02-14	L	4-0	A v Paris_SG