UCL Preview: AS Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk

The Champions League is back and that means European football season is at its business end. With games such as Milan v Spurs, Arsenal v Barcelona and Inter v Bayern dominating the headlines all over the world, let me preview a last-16 clash which has a far less charismatic significance compared to the above mentioned ties.

Claudio Ranieri’s AS Roma were probably feeling the happiest of all the sides having been drawn with Ukrainian outsiders Shakhtar Donetsk when the draw was made last December in Switzerland yet something is not right with the Romans a couple of months later and Mircea Lucescu’s well drilled outfit can pull off a surprise with the second leg set to be held in freezing Donetsk few weeks later.

CURRENT FORM:

Roma

Last year’s runners-up of Serie A are lying in a disappointing 8th spot and the pressure is immense on Claudio Ranieri to deliver. ‘The Tinkerman’, as Ranieri is called from his days as the manager of Chelsea, has admitted that his club is lacking ‘the enthusiasm or organisation’ of last season after watching his side lose 2-0 at home to Napoli on Saturday. The under-fire manager was quoted as saying, “I don’t see a spark. There’s not the enthusiasm or organization on the field of last season. It’s certainly my fault because I’m the boss.” The cash-strapped side from the Italian capital are in talks with an American consortium to bail out the club from the current situation and this off field uncertainty is a destabilizing factor that Francesco Totti and company are having to deal with week and week out. Claudio Ranieri’s relationship with club captain and fan favourite Francesco Totti is now a talking point with the latter extremely unhappy of not being guaranteed a start with Montenegran Mirko Vucinic and Marco Borriello offering more speed and accuracy in front of the opposition goal. The AS Roma fans have vented their anger on training day against the manager urging him to play Totti or quit the club. To get fans back on side, Ranieri is likely to select Totti against the Ukrainians while French centre back Philippe Mexes and Argentina’s Nicolas Burdisso are back from suspensions. Brazilian forward Adriano is injured but is likely to be fit for the return leg in the Ukraine.

Shaktar Donetsk

2009 UEFA Cup winners Shakhtar Donetsk would be playing their first competitive game against Roma on Wednesday at the Stadio Olimpico. The Ukraine league’s winter break from November to March 5 means Shakhtar have not played an official match since Dec. 8 when they defeated Sporting Braga 2-0 to top the group and progressed to the Champions League last 16 for the first time. The big-spenders have played 9 friendlies, winning 4, during the break but have not recruited any new players.

Their heaviest defeat came at the Dubai Cup where they lost 5-2 to Slovakia’s MSK Zilina. Vasyl Kobin will miss the first leg because of an Achilles tendon injury as will Olexandr Kucher with a knee problem. Influential Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho is back from a broken leg but coach Mircea Lucescu only expects him to be fully fit for the second leg against Roma in Donetsk on March 8.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS:

The two teams met in the 2006-2007 group stage when the Roman side won 4-0 in the ‘eternal city’ while the Ukrainians were victorious by a solitary goal in Donetsk.

MEN TO WATCH:

Marco Boriello- The giant Neapolitan is key to Roma’s progress and success this season. Having arrived from AC Milan in the summer, the Italian has proved that he is a master in front of the goal. Gifted with immense pace, stamina and accuracy, Boriello has the ability to turn a deadlocked match into a winning one single-handedly. It remains to be seen whether Claudio Ranieri puts Boriello alongwith club legend Francesco Totti at the front in order to wrest a handsome advantage ahead of the tough trip to the Donbass Arsena in Donetsk on March 8.

Eduardo- The Croatia international has become a key player at Shakhtar since joining them from Arsenal last summer. Eduardo scored in the Champions League games against Arsenal, both home and away and against Partizan Belgrade and is one of the top marksmen in whole of Europe. Since his horrific injury, Eduardo has grown stronger as a player and as a man and is Mircea Lucescu’s best bet to score the all important away goals before taking on the Romans in their own backyards.

Eduardo: the scourge of Arsenal in the group stage

Francesco Totti- The 34-year old striker may have lost his old spark but is still a force to reckon with in both Italian and European football. Considered a legend in AS Roma having served the Roman club since childhood, Totti has the ability to score dream goals on dream occasions and Claudio Ranieri would not risk the fanatical Roma fans’ wrath by starting him in the bench.

Roma legend Totti could still make a huge impact

Prediction

AS Roma are struggling in the domestic league but their Champions League experience would be a key factor in getting past 2009 UEFA Cup winners Shakhtar, who have qualified to the knock-out stage for the very first time. Yet, the Miners from the Ukraine would be relying on their formidable home form to turnover any probable Roma advantage at the Stadio Olimpico.