The Warm-up: Olimpico the stage for lightning to strike twice

In the quarter-finals it was Barcelona, this time around it is Liverpool. At stake is a place in the final of the Champions League against Real Madrid. The sort of night all fans and players dream about: can Eusebio Di Francesco's team produce another unforgettable night in a European campaign that has been full of them?

The pre-match reading

• Eusebio Di Francesco's pre-match press conference
• Qatar Airways become Roma's Main Global Partner
• S quad list: 21 players available
• R adja ready to take the hard path
• Gallery: Players t rain in 'Forza Sean' shirts

The path here

Roma topped a group that featured Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Qarabag to get to the knockout stages - before ousting Shakhtar Donetsk (2-2 on aggregate) and Barcelona (4-4 on aggregate) on the away goals rule.

Liverpool, meanwhile, waltzed through a group that included Sevilla, Spartak Moscow and Maribor to reach the last-16 - where they then hammered Porto to move into the quarter-finals.

In the quarter-finals, they beat Manchester City home and away to clinch a 5-2 aggregate victory over the newly-crowned Premier League champions.

In the last week

After the game at Anfield, Roma bounced back in league action with a 4-1 win over Chievo Verona on Saturday evening. Patrik Schick, Edin Dzeko (twice) and Stephan El Shaarawy all got themselves on the scoresheet.

Earlier the same day, Liverpool were held to a 0-0 draw with Stoke City at Anfield.

Team news

Roma boss Eusebio Di Francesco is without both Diego Perotti and Kevin Strootman, who suffered knocks in the first leg at Anfield last week.

Gregoire Defrel and Rick Karsdorp are both also long-term absentees, while Jonathan Silva is ineligible for this phase of the competition.

For Liverpool, forward Sadio Mane is back after missing the weekend draw with Stoke. Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold also expected to be fit - as is full-back Alberto Moreno.

However, Joe Gomez has not travelled to Italy after sustaining a knock during the early stages of the Stoke game.

Adam Lallana has travelled with the group but may not be considered fit to start, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Emre Can and Joel Matip are all longer term concerns.

The view from both sides

Eusebio Di Francesco: ““We’ll be up against a completely different side, from a tactical standpoint and in terms of mentality. They are less of a possession side but more capable of playing direct. So it’ll be hugely different. However, in terms of motivating the players, it’s exactly the same. We want to pull this comeback off, to give everything we have and achieve something special.”

Jurgen Klopp: “If we get the result we need, we deserve to be in the final. But if Roma get through then they deserve it. If you want to win, you have to accept you might lose. You have to be brave. You have to be active."

Opposition danger man

VIRGIL VAN DIJK

Liverpool's attacking threat is well known but, at this point, it is the defence that Roma will have to concentrate on. The Giallorossi need to score at least three times at the Olimpico: and, having managed two in the final 10 minutes at the Anfield, they will know they have the ability.

For Liverpool, then, much will rest on the solidity of their defensive unit - from Lorus Karius between the posts to Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold at full-back. None of those players have experienced an occasion like this before, putting even more pressure on their defensive general, Van Dijk, to guide them expertly.

The Netherlands international is hardly the most experienced at this level either but, as the world's most expensive defender, he will be expected to deliver. If Roma can unsettle the January arrival, it could prove a key to the contest.

Roma's one to watch

EDIN DZEKO

Roma need goals and, usually, when that is the case it is Edin Dzeko who provides them. Last year's Serie A top goalscorer has scored in each of his last four Champions League games for the Giallorossi - a new club record in the competition.

Dzeko's strike at Anfield last week - from essentially the first clear chance he had - gave his team a desperately needed lifeline in the tie, sparking a mini-comeback that ensures tonight's tie is far from a foregone conclusion.

A prolific goalscorer wherever he has been - this season becoming the first person ever to score 50 goals in three of Europe's top five leagues - Dzeko has also added further facets to his game as he has got older, serving as an incredible target man and creator for his teammates.

Roma undoubtedly face a huge task on Wednesday - if they are to achieve the remarkable, then it stands to reason that Dzeko will be heavily involved.

Possible line-ups

Eusebio Di Francesco has a few selection decisions to mull over - especially with both Kevin Strootmana and Diego Perotti ruled out through injury.

Whether the coach goes for a 3-4-2-1 or 4-3-3 formation could affect his personnel decisions - with Cengiz Under, Patrik Schick and Stephan El Shaarawy perhaps all fighting for two places in support of Edin Dzeko in attack.

Jurgen Klopp will be without Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who suffered a season-ending injury at Anfield last week, and replacing the former Arsenal man might be the only change he makes from the starting XI on that night.

Georginio Wijnaldum replaced Oxlade-Chamberlain on that occasion - and the Dutch international could come in once again for this one, with the rest of the side remaining as it was.