Submitted by Admin on February 14, 2011 - 10:24
Roma are set to host Shakhtar Donetsk at Stadio Olimpico, Rome, in the first leg of a last 16 encounter, in the UEFA Champions League, on Wednesday, February 16, 2011. The match between Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk is scheduled to kick off at 19:45 GMT.
Roma the club from Italy will be facing Shakhtar Donetsk from Ukraine who is a round of 16 newcomer in the Champions League. Roma have progressed to the quarter finals of the competition twice in the years 2007 and 2008 and look like the favorites to win this tie. AS
Roma will be looking to carry the momentum provided by a three-game unbeaten UEFA Champions League run into a round of 16 tie against FC Shakhtar Donetsk, who are in this stage for the first time after five previous qualifying attempts ended in failure. When the teams met in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League group stage, Roma won their home game 4-0
Roma faced FC Dynamo Kyiv in the 2004/05 and 2007/08 UEFA Champions League group stage, losing at home (3-0) and away (2-0) in the first campaign before turning the tables three years later, winning 2-0 in Rome and 4-1 in Kyiv.
Shakhtar's defeat of these opponents in 2006 was their only win in ten UEFA Champions League games against Italian sides. In the same Rome stadium they lost 5-1 to S. S. Lazio in the 2000/01 first group stage, one of seven defeats in their eight UEFA Champions League meetings with other Series A clubs.
Shakhtar Donetsk has no experience of playing in the business end of the competition. The newcomers are having a bit of good practice as they won the Ukrainian league and now have passed the group stages of the Champions league. With the confidence that they have right now there is slight chance that they could cause an upset though it looks unlikely.
Shakhtar Donetsk then again has won just two in their twelve matches in this European League against Italian teams. In Italy this team hasn’t won a single game in this League. Despite these losses Eduardo and Luiz Adriano has shown some nerves on performance scoring with some consistency.
They have to try to score an away goal in the first leg of the round of 16 and that could help them keep their hopes alive. This will be an exciting and fun encounter with anything possible in this competition. The UEFA Champions League is known to cause major upsets.
Roma look to have the upper hand in this fixture and could go in with a win.