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European Champions League preview Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma

Shakhtar Donetsk takes a 3-2 lead over Roma heading back to the Ukraine for the second leg of their Champions League showdown on March 8th. The one goal lead might not seem like very much, but the three away goals sure are.

Shakhtar has had some success in Europe before as they won the UEFA Cup in 2009, but were knocked out of the Champions League last year during the third round of qualifying. They’ve gotten back on the right track again this year and did well in the group stages by winning theirs. Not bad considering Arsenal was in the group.

Roma has no choice here but to attack and score goals and that could make it an exciting match. Roma’s manager Claudio Ranieri quit the club shortly after the first leg, but the game that really did him in was a 4-3 loss to Genoa in Italy after having a 3-0 lead.

Vincenzo Montella has taken over from Ranieri until the season ends. It’s been rumoured that Roma is going to try and pry Carlo Ancelotti away from Chelsea. Montella has guided the club to two wins and a draw in his three games in charge, but this will be a hard task to overcome Shakhtar away. If Montella uses a 4-2-3-1 format then he’s probably not going to have much luck. A lone striker is ridiculous when you’re trying to score goals or be eliminated.

Shakhtar Donetsk will be depending on Brazilian striker Luiz Adriano to lead the offence. The 23-year-old scored the winning goal in the first leg and if he scores again it’ll be lights out for Roma.

This fixture is Shakhtar Donetsk’s to lose. And while it’s possible, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll throw this away. The pressure is all on the Italian side as they have to score two goals minimum to advance to the next round of the tournament. Roma might have a bit more confidence now with Montella at the helm, but he has to realize this is a do or die situation and waiting for chances isn’t going to cut it.

Roma vs Shakhtar Donetsk Odds and Predictions

Roma has to create their own chances if they have a hope of winning in Ukraine. I can see them scoring a goal or two, but not without letting one in. Shakhtar is in the driver’s seat and could hit Roma on the counter attack. They’d be happy with a draw, but should win the game by a goal.

Bet365 has the odds of a Shakhtar win at 10/11 with the odds of Roma taking the game at 3/1 and a draw at 5/2.