Allen Hamilton
What: Champions League (Round of 16)
Who: Shakhtar Donetsk (3) vs Roma (2) (First leg scores in brackets)
When: Tuesday 8th March, 2011, at 19:45 UK time
Where: Donbass Arena, Donetsk, Ukraine
Nearly Mission Accomplished
Before a ball was even kicked in this season’s Champions League, Shakhtar Donetsk were hard at work laying down their targets for the competition, and a run to the quarter-finals was identified as the minimum requirement.
It had long been a criticism of Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu’s reign that the big-spending Ukrainians had failed to make their mark, and although that was shot to pieces when Shakhtar lifted the 2009 UEFA Cup in Istanbul, exiting last season’s Champions League in the Third Qualifying Round again started to give rise to talk that, at the highest level in Europe, Lucescu could not cut it.
But this year has been different. Topping a group containing Arsenal served notice of Shakhtar’s intent, while their attacking verve banished a traditionally mixed showing with relish when recording a 3-2 first leg win against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. Lucescu though is under no illusions that the Italians present a test, and a very different one from their 1-0 win at Sevastopol on Thursday.
"This will be a completely different game", said the Romanian. "Roma, of course, will not play from the back like Sevastopol; they will not sit back inside their own half of the pitch. They need to score, and, naturally, they will be playing attacking football. Accordingly, our game will be different."
Montella to Work Magic?
Roma have seen a change in the dugout since the first leg, with Claudio Ranieri biting the bullet. It was not however the home Champions League defeat which did for the former Valencia boss, but instead the throwing away of a three goal lead, to lose 4-3, against Serie A rivals Genoa.
The choice of Vincenzo Montella to succeed Ranieri, albeit only until the end of the season when Carlo Ancelotti is Roma’s target, was something of a surprise. The 36-year-old former striker has no coaching experience to speak of save a spell with the club’s junior side. Since Ranieri’s departure though, Roma have won two of three games, beating Bologna and Lecce, while drawing at home to Parma. Montella appears to have set the ship back on course and, sitting sixth in Serie A, a Champions League spot is not an impossibility.
Operating with a 4-2-3-1 system, Montella looks likely to deploy this in Donetsk, with the midfield three, supporting a lone striker looking essential to determining the course of the game. And the young coach is heading to the Ukraine with victory on his mind, commenting after the win away to Lecce: "The will to win came and we did it with a quality of play that the players on the pitch put into practice. Now we must think of a game at a time and we’re going to the Ukraine to win." Indeed, 3-2 down, Roma need to leave Donetsk with victory.
Recent form
Shakhtar Donetsk:
Karpaty Lviv 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk (07/02; Premier League)
Roma 2-3 Shakhtar Donetsk
(16/02; Champions League)
Sevastopol 0-1 Shakhtar Donetsk (03/03; Premier League)
Roma:
Bologna 0-1 Roma (23/02; Serie A)
Roma 2-2 Parma (27/02; Serie A)
Lecce 1-2 (04/03; Serie A)
Key absences
Shakhtar Donetsk: Fernandinho
Roma: Adriano
Players to watch
Shakhtar Donetsk – Luiz Adriano: The Brazilian striker is yet another of Lucescu’s gems from the South American country. A remarkable scoring record since joining Shakhtar Donetsk has been continued in the Champions League, with the 23-year-old finding the back of the net in the first leg and his strike proving to be the winner. Roma must make sure Luiz Adriano does not get a sniff of goal – he could bury them.
Roma – Philippe Mexes: While Roma need to score in Donetsk, keeping the ball out at the other end is crucial, and Mexes will be key to this task. The Frenchman must marshal a backline that has conceded too many goals of late. Keeping concentration in the Donbass Arena could prove a difficult job, but Mexes has vast experience and can lead by example for the Serie A side.
Match Prediction
Shakhtar Donetsk are in a supremely strong position coming into this second leg. Holding a 3-2 lead, Roma will need to find the back of the net at least twice in the Ukraine to ensure progression. And the Italians have a chance, with Montella having restored the feel-good factor at the Serie A giants. This is likely to be a nervy encounter for Shakhtar and looks set to edge towards a 1-1 draw.
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