The Matchday 1 clash of the 2025/26 Europa League group stage between Nice (France) and Roma (Italy) will take place on September 24 at the Allianz Riviera Stadium. Nice vs. Roma: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Nice
Frank Haise's side entered the Europa League group stage after being eliminated from the Champions League in the final qualifying round by Benfica (0-2, 0-2). As a result, Nice will participate in the main draw of the Europa League for the fifth time in their history, with their best performance being the playoff stage in the 2017/18 season, where they lost to Lokomotiv Moscow (2-3, 0-1) on aggregate. Notably, the club is on a 12-match winless streak in the Europa League (3 draws, 9 losses).
- The team has not won in their last six home matches in the Europa League (3 draws, 3 losses).
- Both teams scored in the last six home games of the club in this competition.
- The French side scored exactly 1 or 2 goals in their last eight home matches in the Europa League.
Predicted lineup for Nice (3-4-3)
Yehvann Diouf – Kojo Oppong, Djuma Ba, Melvin Bard – Tiago Gouveia, Hicham Boudaoui, Charles Vanhoutte, Jonathan Clauss – Jeremie Boga, Sofiane Diop, Terem Moffi.
Defenders Dante, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Youssouf Ndayishimiye, and Ali Abdi, as well as midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, are injured.
Roma
The Italian side entered the Europa League group stage directly after finishing fifth in the previous Serie A season. As a result, Roma will take part in the main draw of this competition for the fourth consecutive season, with their best achievement being a runner-up finish in 2023. On that occasion, they lost to Sevilla in the final (1-1, extra time 0-0, penalties 1-4). It's worth noting that Roma have avoided defeat in 8 of their last 10 matches in this tournament (5 wins, 3 draws).
- The team has not won in their last seven away matches in the Europa League (4 draws, 3 losses).
- Both teams scored in 5 of Roma's last 7 away matches in this competition.
- The Romans conceded exactly 1 or 2 goals in 6 of their last 7 away matches in the Europa League.
Predicted lineup for Roma (3-4-3)
Mile Svilar – Evan Ndicka, Gianluca Mancini, Zeki Celik – Devyne Rensch, Kouadio Kone, Bryan Cristante, Angelino – Lorenzo Pellegrini, Evan Ferguson, Matias Soule.
Midfielders Tommaso Baldanzi and Leon Bailey, as well as forward Paulo Dybala, will miss the match due to injuries. Defender Jan Zelekowski is suspended.
Referee
Juan Martinez Munuera (Spain)
Matches – 7 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 33;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.7;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 43%.
Nice vs. Roma: Match Prediction
The French side may not boast a successful record in the Europa League, but they strive to play open football at home, often delighting fans with their attacking play. In their last 12 home matches in this competition, Nice has never failed to score, and in half of those games, they scored at least twice. However, they rarely avoid defensive errors, conceding in their last six home matches in the Europa League.
Roma also favors attacking football on the international stage and performs effectively even away from home: in their last eight away matches in the Europa League, they failed to score only twice. However, their defensive play leaves much to be desired: in their last 13 away encounters in this competition, Roma kept a clean sheet only once.
I expect both teams to score in this match, so my prediction: Both teams to score – yes
