Some might bemoan the fact that either Roma or Shakhtar Donetsk will be playing in the Quarterfinals, but that is one of the beautiful things about the Champions League. Every match matters, and these two teams are playing each other because Roma edged Chelsea for the top spot in their group.
Interestingly enough, these teams met in the Round of 16 seven years ago. That time around Shakhtar Donetsk shredded Roma’s backline and easily advanced thanks to a 6-2 lead in aggregate. Roma is looking for revenge and will set its sights on making the Quarterfinals for the first time in 10 years.
Don't miss the Champions League action from Metalist Stadium at 2:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 21, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on FS2.
Champions League Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Roma +196
Shakhtar Donetsk +137
Draw +223
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
Shakhtar Donetsk looked very good in Group Stage action, knocking off Manchester City, Napoli, and Feyenoord at home. Napoli and Manchester City have been performing at a very high level this year, so that shows how tough it is to emerge from Ukraine with a result. This will be the first game for Shakhtar in over two months as the Ukrainian Premier League has been on a lengthy winter break.
Roma finished top of the table in their group thanks to a 3-0 win over Chelsea at home. They barely squeaked by Azerbaijan side Qarabag in both of their games, but made it past Atletico Madrid, surprising many observers. Roma has no chance to win Serie A, so all of their eggs will be in the Champions League basket.
Injury Report
Coming into this game, Roma is pretty healthy. Offseason signing Rick Karsdorp tore his ACL back in October, so the team has adjusted to life without him, and there have been no other major injuries. Midfielder Maxime Gonalons is considered doubtful for this game, but he likely only would have come on as a substitute.
The news isn’t so cheery for Shakhtar Donetsk. Captain Darijo Srna has been suspended for a failed drug test and it won’t be easy for the club to replace him. Srna is the team’s all-time leader in caps and has been a mainstay in the back for 15 years.
Another one of their key players has been out for quite sometime too. Midfielder Maksym Malyshev is still recovering from a knee injury. He is unlikely to play in this one, but may be able to take part in the second leg.
Recent Form
Give credit to Roma for reaching this point without Mo Salah. After some initial success, this team has really struggled to find the back of the net. Edin Dzeko looked sharp last year, but has not been able to get things going this season without Salah. He has just four goals in his last 20 matches, a dismal drop-off from his numbers last year.
Shakhtar has not played in a real game in over two months, but they have been keeping active with friendlies against teams in other countries. They were unable to knock off FC Copenhagen and suffered a bad loss at the hands of Jiangsu Suning, but knocked off Dynamo Zagreb, Slavia Praha, and AIK.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Shakhtar is the right side in this one. The club brought in a number of Brazilian players to help them survive the rigors of the Champions League and that has paid off tremendously. Fred has emerged as someone to keep an eye on in the future, and it’s extremely difficult to win in Ukraine.
Edin Dzeko and Roma will have their work cut out for them when it comes to scoring against Shakhtar. Taking Shakhtar to win this game is very good value.
Champions League Odds: Shakhtar Donetsk 2, Roma 1
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