Shakhtar Donetsk pulled out the upset over Roma in the first leg of their Champions League tie, protecting their home-field advantage with a 2-1 win. However, Roma got a big away goal and now they have the edge as they head back to Rome for the second leg on March 13th.
What To Know About Shakhtar Donetsk
Shakhtar Donetsk got goals from Facundo Ferreyra in the 52nd minute and Fred in the 71st minute to come back from a 1-0 deficit, but they definitely held their own with Roma. Shakhtar Donetsk had the ball for 52% of the match and equalled Roma with 15 shots; they also had one more shot on target with nine. That being said, they did most of their work in the second half and it was their Brazilian contingent of Fred, Bernard, Ismaily and Marlos (who was born in Brazil, but represents Ukraine at international level) who led the way. Fred’s free kick was a thing of beauty to give Shakhtar Donetsk the lead and eventually the game, and Bernard was at the heart of basically all of Shakhtar Donetsk’s good moves. Now, they have won all four of their home games in the Champions League; can Shakhtar Donetsk play as well on the road?
What To Know About Roma
Roma were the better team in the first half and Cengiz Under gave them the lead in the 41st minute with a very good goal. But they wilted under the pressure in the second half and they couldn’t get a hold of the game in the middle of the pitch. Radja Nainggolan had the chance to step up and lead his team, and he didn’t. Kevin Strootman battled valiantly, but he couldn’t do it on his own. Keeper Alisson actually kept Roma in the match with a few good saves to hold Shakhtar Donetsk off, and they at least have a chance to win the tie as they got a crucial away goal. However, Roma needs to play much better than they did in the second half, where they seemed happy to sit back and let the home team do whatever they wanted. That never seems to work out well for a team.
Outlook
Roma are the home favorites at -150, while Shakhtar Donetsk come in at +375 and a draw is rated at +280. This will be Shakhtar Donetsk’s third trip to Roma as they lost 4-0 here in the group stages of the Champions League in September 2006, but they won the first leg of their round-of-16 tie at Roma by a score of 3-2 in February 2011. In fact, Shakhtar Donetsk has four wins in five matches against Roma, who had a good gameplan in the first leg, but they didn’t stay with it. It seems simple to say, but if their best players play better, Roma should have enough to go through to the next round. But this isn’t going to be a walk in the park against Shakhtar Donetsk, who didn’t do enough in the first leg to have the belief that they can win this game.
Champions League Betting Pick: Roma
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