Preview

March 18, Kyiv, NSC Olimpiyskiy, 19:55

Match build-up

After the failure in Rome, Shakhtar slightly improved their mood by securing an important league victory over strong rivals Desna, with Tete and Manor Solomon netting doubles. After that, every thought of the players and the coaching staff has been about the Europa League and the return match against Roma.

Both footballers and Luis Castro point out that nothing is impossible in football. History saw a lot of comebacks after major first-leg defeats in the knockout stages. In order to advance to the next round, Shakhtar need to win by four goals, but at the same time they must not concede any taking into account the away goals rule. This is exactly what Paulo Fonseca said at his press conference.

On the evening of March 17, it became known that the match will be held behind closed doors. The money spent by all those who already purchased the tickets will be automatically refunded by crediting the holders’ bank cards within 3 to 14 days (depending on the bank). Further information is available at 0 800 300 314 (free calls within Ukraine) and at +38 044 390 90 09 (for calling worldwide).

Opponents

Roma laid a great foundation in the first meeting with Shakhtar in order to count on reaching the quarterfinals, however getting complacent ahead of time at this level is really dangerous - the representatives of Roma stressed this in their communication with reporters before the match. In Kyiv, Paulo Fonseca cannot count on Smalling, Juan Jesus, Vereta and Mkhitaryan.

After a series of three wins (over Fiorentina, Genoa and Shakhtar), the Gialorossi suffered a 0-2 defeat in Parma last Sunday. The team had the following roster in that game: Lopez, Mancini, Kumbulla (Cristante 60’), Ibanez, Bruno Peres (Reynolds 60’), Pellegrini (Mayoral 79’), Villar (Diavara 79’), Spinazzola, Pedro (Carles Perez 60’), Dzeko, El Shaarawy.

Head-to-head record

Shakhtar won four out of seven head-to-head meetings, Roma won on three occasions. The Donetsk side scored nine goals, the Romans netted 11 goals.

Previous game