Pinto ready for 'two big battles'

The Giallorossi were put up against the Ukrainian side - who they beat at the same stage of the Champions League in 2018 - during Friday's draw for the last-16 of the competition.

The game will see Roma face one of Paulo Fonseca's former sides for the second time in succession, after the 5-1 aggregate win over Sporting Braga in the previous round.

"The draw is what it is but it will be a tough tie because Shakhtar are a very experienced team in European competitions," the Portuguese said.

"Even this season they have beaten Real Madrid twice and I think that shows how strong they are. They have a very good coach, a Portuguese coach in Luis Castro, and a very good team. And for sure it will be a fun challenge for Paulo Fonseca as he has a great history with Shakhtar. So it will be a great occasion for him."

He added: "In the Europa League, like in the domestic competitions, we want to improve our performances and we want to get the best results possible. We want to try to reach the final stages.

"I think the games against Braga showed that we are playing better and that we are improving our level and deserve to go to the next round and continue to enjoy good results in this competition."

Asked about the club's chances in the competition, Pinto was clear.

"I think, more than thinking about the final, we have to think game-by-game," he said.

"We know we will have two big battles, two big finals against Shakhtar, and our mentality has to be that each game is a final and we have to fight all the way to get through, and not worry about [the final in] Gdansk."

Giving the perspective from the Ukrainian side, Shakhtar director Darijo Srna saw reasons for being optimistic - despite admitting to some concerns when the draw was first confirmed.

"My first feeling was, 'Okay, not so nice!' – but okay, that’s football," Srna told UEFA. "We are playing against our old coach, one of my big friends, and of course it will be a difficult game for us, and for him too I think.

"We have shown our quality over our last 20 or so European games. We want to continue the recent results we have enjoyed against Italian teams.

"Roma are very focused on reaching the Champions League and they have a difficult schedule before they face us. We don’t have this kind of schedule, while they will also be playing in an empty stadium and – if the situation stays the same in Kiev – we will play with the fans behind us.

"It will be a tough game, a good game, and I think the chances for both of us will be 50-50.”