Wednesday 21st February 2018 Kick off 1945hrs Shakthar Donetsk v Roma Football – Europe – Champions League Two teams who have probably gone under the radar in terms of the Champions League knockout phase clash on Wednesday with Shakthar Donetsk hosting Roma. Shakthar surprised many by finishing above Napoli in the group stage whilst Roma sprung a surprise of their own by not only making it through a group stage which featured both Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, but also topping the group. Both clubs have done tremendously well to reach this stage and will also feel confident of getting to the next stage as well.
Shakthar were thought to be well up against it in their battle to reach the knockout stages having been drawn against Manchester City and Napoli, along with Feyenoord. The first two-named of that trio were held in the highest of regards but Shakthar are not one for baulking at reputation and they got their campaign off to the perfect start by beating Napoli at home on the opening matchday. Their other really significant result was on matchday six when they defeated an already qualified Manchester City 2-1 to book their place in the last 16. It’s the first time they have reached this stage since 2013 so although a regular competitor in the Champions League, making it the group stage has been much more difficult. Friday was their first competitive action since the middle of December due to the winter shutdown of their domestic league and how much of an issue that is remains to be seen, but it cannot be the best of preparations for going into such an important tie – no matter how many friendlies they have played during that spell.
Roma were probably the least-fancied of the Italian teams to do much in this season’s Champions League with both Napoli and Juventus expected to fair a lot better. One reason for people holding that opinion was down to the change in manager over the summer as their former player Eusebio Di Francesco took charge. Roma also sold their best player in Mohammed Salah and that was met with plenty of fury amongst their supporters. Despite those reservations the team from the Italian capital have qualified top of their Champions League group and are also sitting third in Serie A – albeit well behind Juve and Napoli. Considering the strength of squads and experience that Atletico Madrid possess, the fact Roma were able to finish above them both should not be underestimated. They may have at times rode their luck but at the end of the day Roma lost only one of their six group matches and pulled off a stunning 3-0 win over Chelsea at home to take control of the group. The challenge now is to build on that and as a top seed there is also extra pressure on them to succeed as the dynamic of these ties usually favour the team playing away from home in the first leg.
Shakthar Donetsk v Roma Betting Tip
You could say this is something of a bonus for both these teams but neither manager will be looking at like that and will be completely focussed on ensuring they continue their participation in the Champions League. Shakthar have to contend with the fact they have little in the way of competitive football to get them ready for this match but that was always going to be an issue and they will feel they have had as good a preparation as they possibly could to guard against that. Roma may see it as something that gives them an advantage but they have not been on the best run of form of late themselves until very recently where they have picked up three straight wins. Their form away from home in the Champions League down the years is also concerning with just one win in their last 13 games in the competition. For Shakthar, whilst it would be somewhat incorrect to suggest they are playing at home as such due to the ongoing conflict in Donetsk, their ‘home’ form is fairly strong and they have won all four of them from the playoff stage onwards this time around.
It appears to be a very even match up and if we take a line through Napoli then it promises to be two fascinating encounters. Shakthar were too good for that outfit at home but were dismantled on their travels and there may be a similar occurrence against another Italian team in Roma. The visitors do not travel well and it may be about damage limitation for them ahead of the second leg, I fancy the hosts to take a lead to the Italian capital.
Shakthar Donetsk 13/8 @ William Hill
