Form guide (all competitions, most recent first)
Roma: WWWWLD
Real Madrid: WWWDWW
The spotlight will shine on Zinédine Zidane when Roma host Real Madrid in the first leg of their Uefa Champions League round of 16 tie, with the Spanish side having lost their last eight two-legged ties against Italian opposition.
This is the first Uefa Champions League match as Madrid coach for Zidane, the man who replaced Rafael Benítez at the helm in January – and who scored the Merengues' winning goal in the 2002 final in Glasgow.
Roma have also changed their coach with Rudi Garciare placed by Luciano Spalletti, who helped the Serie A side overcome Madrid last time they met in this competition.
Match Background
Roma
Roma are looking to reach the Uefa Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2008.
They qualified for the last 16 as Group E runners-up behind FC Barcelona, despite winning only one game (3-2 at home v Bayer 04 Leverkusen).
The Giallorossi lost 6-1 at Barcelona on 24 November and have the worst defensive record of the 16 sides to qualify for the knockout stage (16 goals conceded).
Roma held Barcelona 1-1 at the Stadio Olimpico on matchday one, leaving them with the following home record against Liga sides: W6 D1 L5.
Roma's record in two-legged ties against Spanish teams is W2 L3.
Real Madrid
After winning Group A, Madrid are now pursuing a sixth successive quarterfinal appearance.
The ten-time European champions were one of only two sides to progress undefeated from the group stage (W2 D1 away from home).
Madrid lost 2-1 at Juventus on their last visit to Italy in last season's Uefa Champions League semifinal, en route to a 3-2 aggregate defeat.
Madrid have won none of their last eight away matches against Italian sides (D4, L4).
Madrid have lost their last eight two-legged knockout ties against Serie A opposition. Their last victory was in the 1987/88 European Champion Clubs' Cup first round against SSC Napoli (aggregate 3-1). Emilio Butragueño, now a club director, scored in the 1-1 second-leg draw in Naples.Form guide (all competitions, most recent first)
Roma: WWWWLD
Real Madrid: WWWDWW
The spotlight will shine on Zinédine Zidane when Roma host Real Madrid in the first leg of their Uefa Champions League round of 16 tie, with the Spanish side having lost their last eight two-legged ties against Italian opposition.
This is the first Uefa Champions League match as Madrid coach for Zidane, the man who replaced Rafael Benítez at the helm in January – and who scored the Merengues' winning goal in the 2002 final in Glasgow.
Roma have also changed their coach with Rudi Garciare placed by Luciano Spalletti, who helped the Serie A side overcome Madrid last time they met in this competition.
Match Background
Roma
Roma are looking to reach the Uefa Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2008.
They qualified for the last 16 as Group E runners-up behind FC Barcelona, despite winning only one game (3-2 at home v Bayer 04 Leverkusen).
The Giallorossi lost 6-1 at Barcelona on 24 November and have the worst defensive record of the 16 sides to qualify for the knockout stage (16 goals conceded).
Roma held Barcelona 1-1 at the Stadio Olimpico on matchday one, leaving them with the following home record against Liga sides: W6 D1 L5.
Roma's record in two-legged ties against Spanish teams is W2 L3.
Real Madrid
After winning Group A, Madrid are now pursuing a sixth successive quarterfinal appearance.
The ten-time European champions were one of only two sides to progress undefeated from the group stage (W2 D1 away from home).
Madrid lost 2-1 at Juventus on their last visit to Italy in last season's Uefa Champions League semifinal, en route to a 3-2 aggregate defeat.
Madrid have won none of their last eight away matches against Italian sides (D4, L4).
Madrid have lost their last eight two-legged knockout ties against Serie A opposition. Their last victory was in the 1987/88 European Champion Clubs' Cup first round against SSC Napoli (aggregate 3-1). Emilio Butragueño, now a club director, scored in the 1-1 second-leg draw in Naples.
Previous Meeting
The clubs have met eight times in Uefa competition with four wins for Madrid, three for Roma and one draw.
The clubs met most recently in a pre-season friendly in Melbourne on 18 July last year, Benítez's first game as Madrid coach. Roma prevailed 7-6 on penalties after a 0-0 draw, Seydou Keita converting the winning kick after Morgan De Sanctis had saved from Lucas Vázquez.
Their most recent official encounter was in the Uefa Champions League round of 16 in 2007/08 when Spalletti's Roma recorded 2-1 home and away victories.
Then as now, the first leg was at the Stadio Olimpico and though Raúl González struck first, Roma hit back through David Pizarro and Mancini to end a run of three home defeats against the Spanish side.
The line-ups on 19 February 2008 were:
Roma: Doni, Panucci (Tonetto 67), Mexès, Juan (Ferrari 77), Cassetti, De Rossi, Pizarro (Aquilani 62), Giuly, Perrotta, Mancini, Totti.
Real Madrid: Casillas, Ramos, Cannavaro, Heinze, Torres, Diarra (Drenthe 79), Gago, Guti, Robben (Júlio Baptista 79), Van Nistelrooy, Raúl.
Francesco Totti scored in the clubs' first encounter in the 2001/02 first group stage. His penalty could not prevent a 2-1 Madrid win in Rome, where Luís Figo and Guti were on target. Totti then struck again in a 1-1 draw back at the Santiago Bernabéu.
In the 2002/03 first group stage, a Madrid side including Zidane won again at the Stadio Olimpico (3-0) but Totti got the only goal as Roma turned the tables in the Spanish capital.
Daniele De Rossi opened the scoring when Madrid beat Roma 4-2 at home in the 2004/05 group stage and they won the return in Rome too (3-0) in the last of Zidane's 14 career appearances against the Giallorossi (W7 D5 L2).
Luciano Spalletti, Roma coach
I don't think there are any favourites, both sides have a 50-50 chance of making it through the round. We want confirmation of the progress we're making and this is the perfect match to understand whether we're on the right track or not.
I've heard talk about sticking men on him but I won't tell my players that three of them need to mark Cristiano Ronaldo. I'm not going to say to them that they're worth a third of one Portuguese player, otherwise I would need a team of 33 to face a side of that quality.
I have to let whoever is playing in the same area as him know that he has the chance to match Cristiano Ronaldo. Alessandro Florenzi can counteract Ronaldo, but he is not the only one. He has speed and against a player like that, pace is a necessity.
Zinédine Zidane, Real Madrid coach
The Champions League is a different competition to the Liga and Roma are a very good team who know how to play football. It will be difficult, but we have trained well all week and are ready to do our part.
We know the Champions League is special for this club, for me and for the players. We have a little pressure because we are Real, but it's all good. The players are focused and that is reassuring for me.
Francesco Totti ... Everything he has done so far in his career has been spectacular and what he has done for Roma is really special. Hats off to him! Let's see if he continues playing next season but for those of us who love football, seeing him on the pitch is always a pleasure.
Did you know?
Zidane spent five seasons in Italy with Juventus (1996–2001), winning two Serie A titles. His combined record against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico as a player with Juventus and Madrid was W3 D3 L1.
Champions League squad changes
In: Stephan El Shaarawy (AC Milan, loan), Ervin Zukanovic (Sampdoria, loan), Diego Perotti (Genoa CFC, loan)
Out: Juan Iturbe (AFC Bournemouth, loan), Gervinho (Hebei China Fortune FC)
Real Madrid
Casemiro will incur a suspension with his next yellow card.
Real Madrid are undefeated in nine games, six of which have come under Zidane.
Zidane succeeded Benítez as coach on 4 January with the Whites third in the Liga, four points adrift of then leaders Atlético Madrid.
Madrid have scored 20 goals and conceded three in Zidane's four home fixtures in charge. On Saturday, the Merengues had Raphaël Varane sent off late on as they defeated visitors Athletic Club 4-2.
Luka Modric's late winner in the 2-1 victory over Granada CF on 7 February was his first Liga goal since 27 September 2014.
Benzema has scored 16 goals in his past 12 outings in all competitions, including two hat-tricks, and had found the net in each of his last six games until he drew a blank on Saturday.
Ronaldo, on target twice at the weekend, has 19 goals in his last 14 matches in all competitions.
Marcelo (shoulder), Pepe (foot) and Bale (calf) are rated doubtful to face Roma.
Champions League squad changes
In: Mariano Díaz Mejía, José Carlos Lazo (B list), Philipp Lienhart, Alvaro Tejero Sacristán (B list)
Out: Abner, Denis Cheryshev (Valencia CF, loan)
Coach And Player Links
Zidane spent five seasons in Italy with Juventus (1996–2001), winning two Serie A titles. His combined record against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico as a player with Juventus and Madrid was W3 D3 L1.
Zidane faced Totti in the Uefa EURO 2000 final which France won 2-1 after extra time. They met again in the 2006 Fifa World Cup final when Zidane scored France's goal with a penalty but was sent off in extra time. De Rossi also played and converted a penalty in Italy's 5-3 shoot-out triumph.
De Rossi missed a spot kick in Italy's shoot-out defeat by Sergio Ramos’s Spain in the Uefa EURO 2008 quarterfinals. De Rossi featured again when the Azzurri lost 4-0 to a Spain side featuring both Ramos and Álvaro Arbeloa in the Uefa EURO 2012 final.
Keita played in Spain for Sevilla, Barcelona and Valencia. With Barcelona (2008–12), he featured in their 2009 and 2011 Uefa Champions League final triumphs as well as the 2011 semifinal success against Madrid. His overall record against Madrid in Spain was W11 D4 L2. His one goal against them came in Sevilla's 2-0 home Liga victory in November 2007.
Cristiano Ronaldo helped Manchester United FC to back-to-back Uefa Champions League quarterfinal wins over Roma (2007, 2008). In 2007 he struck twice in a 7-1 Old Trafford rout of the Giallorossi – in which De Rossi got Roma's goal – and the next year scored in a 2-1 away win.
Gareth Bale faced Maicon when his Tottenham Hotspur FC side took on the Brazilian's FC Internazionale Milano in the 2010/11 group stage. Bale got a hat-trick in a 4-3 away defeat and then helped Spurs win 3-1 at home.
James Rodríguez and Gervinho both scored when Colombia defeated Ivory Coast 2-1 in the group stage of the 2014 Fifa World Cup.
Iago Falque began his career at Barcelona but played just one league game for their B team before spells at UD Almería and Rayo Vallecano.
Edin Džeko scored the opening goal in Manchester City FC's 3-2 group stage defeat at Madrid in 2012/13.
De Sanctis played for Sevilla in 2007/08, while Diego Perotti represented the Andalusian club between 2009 and 2013.
As an Inter player, Mateo Kovacic appeared at the Stadio Olimpico in a 4-2 loss to Roma in November 2014.
Players who have played together:
Morgan De Sanctis & Zinédine Zidane (Juventus, 1997–99)
Lucas Digne & Raphaël Varane, Karim Benzema (France)
Antonio Rüdiger & Toni Kroos (Germany)
Maicon & Marcelo, Casemiro, Danilo (Brazil)
Possible Line-ups
Roma: Szczesny; Rüdiger, De Rossi, Manolas; Florenzi, Pjanic, Keita, Nainggolan, Digne; Salah, Džeko.
Out: Capradossi (knee)
Doubtful: De Rossi (calf), Totti (calf)
Misses next match if booked: De Rossi, Nainggolan
Real Madrid: Navas; Marcelo/Carvajal, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Danilo; Modric, Kroos, Isco; James Rodríguez, Benzema, Ronaldo.
Out: Bale (calf), Pepe (foot), Abner (knee)
Doubtful: Marcelo (shoulder)
Misses next match if booked: Casemiro
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