Roma reached the round of 16 in the Champions League as group-winners, although they had to do so via tiebreaker. They’ll get a decent matchup in the next round as they begin their two-legged tie at Shakhtar Donetsk, and Roma can’t afford to take them lightly on February 21st.
What To Know About Roma
Roma finished at the top of Group C with three wins, two draws and a loss for 11 points, scoring nine goals and allowing six. They were level on points with Chelsea, but Roma took the top spot thanks to a 3-0 win at home over Chelsea, and then they drew 3-3 on their trip to London. Edin Dzeko led the way with three goals for Roma in the group stage, while Diego Perotti and Stephan El Shaarawy had two apiece, and Roma has shown that they can play any way that their opponents want to play. They can open it up, or they can play a tight defensive game. However, there is a lot of speculation surrounding midfielder Radja Nainggolan, who is being linked with a big-money move to China. Nainggolan is one of three outfield players to start in all six group-stage games for Roma, along with Dzeko and Aleksandar Kolarov. However, he was dropped for a Serie A match for going to a party on New Year’s Eve and Roma needs Nainggolan to remain focused on the task at hand.
What To Know About Shakhtar Donetsk
Shakhtar Donetsk finished second to Manchester City in Group F with four wins and two losses for 12 points, allowing the same amount of goals as they scored (nine). Bernard scored three of Shakhtar Donetsk’s goals, followed by Facundo Ferreyra and Marlos with two goals each. Keep an eye on the transfer window, however, as midfielder Fred is being rumored for a move to Manchester City, who Shakhtar Donetsk beat in their last group match to make it to the knockout round. Fred is a defensive midfielder who provides a platform for his teammates to go forward, and his matchup with Nainggolan will be important to this tie. That is, if both players stay with their teams going into the round of 16.
Outlook
Roma are favored on the road in this tie at +150, while Shakhtar Donetsk comes in at +170 and a drw at +240. Roma has had their troubles with Shakhtar Donetsk in the past, winning just one of their four meetings with the Ukrainian team, who have won three. The two split group-stage matches in 2006 in the Champions League, while Shakhtar Donetsk won both in the round of 16 in 2001, including a 3-2 victory at Roma. This isn’t going to be a walk in the park for Roma, who can be inconsistent at times and Shakhtar Donetsk has the tools to beat them on the counterattack if they’re not careful. Again, the midfield matchup could be the difference that breaks this tie and it wouldn’t be a surprise if this was very close heading back to Roma.
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