The Warm-up: Do-or-die for Giallorossi as epic European night awaits

On what promises to be a momentous European night, can Eusebio Di Francesco's side channel the quality they showed in performances against the likes of Chelsea and Napoli this season and deliver an unforgettable 90 minutes?

The pre-match reading

• Eusebio Di Francesco's pre-match press conference
• F lorenzi calls on side to deliver on big stage
• S quad list: Perotti and Gonalons miss out
• Key battles: The three tussles to watch out for

Last time out...

In the first leg at the Metalist Stadion, Roma took the lead late in the first half thanks to a smart finish from Cengiz Under.

However, Shakhtar roared back in the second half and - with the home crowd cheering them on - quickly equalised through Facundo Ferreyra, before Fred gave Paulo Fonseca's side the edge with a pinpoint free-kick with 20 minutes remaining.

Nevertheless, with the away goal in Roma's favour, the tie remains evenly-poised as the tie heads to the Olimpico.

The form guide

Roma come into this game on the back of successive Serie A victories, against Napoli (4-2, away) and Torino (3-0, home) respectively. The side's only other game since they faced Shakhtar in Kharkiv was a 2-0 home defeat against AC Milan.

Shakhtar, meanwhile, have enjoyed a scintillating run of form since the first leg - not conceding a goal in three games as they have beaten Zirka (5-0), Karpaty (3-0) and Vorskla (3-0) with the minimum of fuss.

Team news

Coach Eusebio Di Francesco has almost a full-strength squad to choose from, with Rick Karsdorp (knee) a long-term absentee and Gregoire Defrel also ruled out.

January arrival Jonathan Silva is ineligible in this competition.

Shakhtar's main absentee, meanwhile, is defender Sergiy Krvytsov, the one player who would perhaps be expected to start if fit tonight - while midfielder Maksym Malyshev has also been a longer-term loss.

Recent arrival Olarenwaju Kayode is ineligible for the Champions League.

The view from both sides

Eusebio Di Francesco: "We need to play with freedom and determination. Cocky is the wrong word, but we need to have a desire to do better than our opponents. It’s not about hedging our bets – it’s about winning.

"We need to make playing with freedom and a desire to hurt our opponents our trademark, so we can’t adopt a wait-and-see attitude. This team wants one thing and one thing only: to dominate games. We showed that we could go and get at Shakhtar in their half of the field, though we know we can’t do that for 90 minutes. They’re a good passing side."

Paulo Fonseca: “A very difficult match awaits us, because Roma have won five of their last six games and at the Stadio Olimpico they kept clean sheets against Chelsea and Atletico Madrid.

“It’s difficult to pick out one or two players [who are dangerous], because Roma have a very good squad. I don’t think they’ll make radical changes, they’ll try to cause us problems right away with a lot of pressing."

Opposition danger man

FRED

While manager Paulo Fonseca might disagree, Shakhtar's side has a slight feel of two separate sides about it: Brazilian (or at least, South American) flair and creativity in attack, with a strong, pre-dominantly Ukrainian base at the other end to keep the clean sheets.

It is to Fonseca's credit that he has found a way to blend those elements so effectively - but one of the key reasons is his midfield general Fred, who does as much as anyone to bring the two parts together in an effective fashion.

Decisive from a dead-ball situation in the first leg, at the Olimpico the Brazil international (called up to the latest squad, alongside Roma's own Alisson Becker) will be aware he will perhaps be more influential in what he does on the defensive end, in assisting his defenders and providing a platform for his compatriots further up the field - Marlos, Bernard - to get on the ball and try to cause some damage.

How he fares could be key to how Shakhtar's night unfolds.

Roma's one to watch

EDIN DZEKO

Two goals on his latest appearance - at one of the toughest grounds in Europe - and then over a week of rest to prepare for this game... it's fair to say Edin Dzeko should arrive for this match mentality and physically ready for a huge night.

In comparision to his Capocannoniere-winning exploits of last term goals might not have come quite as easily for the striker this season - but he remains Roma's most dangerous goalscoring threat; a man capable of scoring in any method, at any time.

With Roma needing to score at least once to have any hope of progressing, a cutting edge in the final third is absolutely vital. As a result, all eyes will be on Dzeko to deliver on the big stage.

Possible line-ups

With no late injury news, Di Francesco can make his selections without any late surprises to worry about.

The main selection decisions perhaps come in midfield and attack, with Lorenzo Pellegrini pushing for a start after his goalscoring cameo on Friday night - while Cengiz Under, Stephan El Shaarawy and Diego Perotti will be vying for the two starting spots alongside Edin Dzeko in the front three.

Paulo Fonseca's selection may be similarly straightforward, although - given the advantage his side hold in the tie - the boss could be tempted to sacrifice an attacking option in order to shore up his defence for the game.

Sometimes, however, attack can be the best form of defence - and with his attacking unit having found consistency and confidence since returning from the international break it seems likely the coach's only real decision will be who partners Rakitskiy in defence.