Athletic Bilbao vs Roma

The current one-goal deficit facing Athletic Bilbao in their Europa League competition will push them to defeat Roma on Thursday at San Mames stadium.

This match at San Mames promises to deliver a last-16 European League comeback fight for Athletic Club who hope to reach the May showpiece tournament.

The goal scored by Inaki Williams provided Athletic Club with their brief sole advantage at Stadio Olimpico but Angelino quickly canceled it out with a goal for Roma.

With Yeray Alvarez receiving his second yellow card Athletic Club watched Roma intensively until their opponents succumbed to defeat through an almost-final-minute goal.

Athletic experienced their second draw from two consecutive matches during La Liga when Mallorca visited them at their home stadium. Nico Williams equalized after Mallorca had scored shortly after kick-off.

The team under Ernesto Valverde maintains a top spot in Champions League qualification even though they trail fifth-place Villarreal by five points thanks to their additional match.

Athletic maintains the third-best home performance in Spanish top-flight competition this season since they average just over two points for each game at San Mames.

San Mames Stadium has witnessed Athletic Club's complete Europa League victory streak this season with their productive offense that scored during their last 17 games.

The Sporano Club kept an impressive eight-win record from ten Italian contests which indicates Roma will face a tough challenge in the upcoming match.

However, the Serie A team holds a valuable advantage thanks to Eldor Shomurodov's dramatic last-minute goal at the Olimpico, as his 94th-minute strike secured a thrilling comeback victory.

This result means Roma now boasts the most wins in the history of UEFA's second-tier club competition, with 97 victories out of 185 matches played.

Having successfully advanced from each of their last nine European knockout ties after winning the first leg—a streak that began in 2019—they can confidently argue that history favors their progression to the quarter-finals.

While Athletic Club earned a direct spot in this round, Roma had to navigate a tense playoff against Porto and then avoid drawing city rivals Lazio. Now, they are focused on securing a place in the last eight, where they could face either Rangers or Fenerbahce, the latter managed by their former coach, Jose Mourinho.

Claudio Ranieri's side remains unbeaten in Serie A this year, and their impressive form continued on Sunday with Matias Soule's early goal against Empoli. This victory extended their unbeaten league run to 12 games and marked their sixth consecutive win.

Since Ranieri took charge in November, only Serie A leaders Inter Milan have recorded more wins across all competitions. Roma are now on the verge of challenging for a top-four finish in the league.

Naturally, the 73-year-old manager would love to ride this wave of success and return to Bilbao in May, capping off his remarkable career with one final trophy.