Porto must end a long winless run in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds to turn round their tie against a Roma team whose impressive home form has once again left them well placed to reach the quarter-finals.
• In the first leg, two goals from 19-year-old midfielder Nicolò Zaniolo made it four successive home wins in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages for Roma, although Adrián López scored what could be a crucial goal 11 minutes from time to set up an intriguing second leg at the Estádio do Dragão.
• That defeat ended Porto’s five-game winning run in this season’s competition, the Portuguese side having scored three goals or more in their four outings prior to the trip to Italy as they eased to first place in Group D. Roma, meanwhile, were second to holders Real Madrid in Group G, although their campaign has also included their biggest UEFA Champions League victory.
Previous meetings
• Porto were unbeaten in their four matches with Roma before the first leg.
• They knocked out the Italian side in the second round of the 1981/82 European Cup Winners’ Cup thanks to a 2-0 home first-leg victory that took them through by the same aggregate scoreline.
• Porto players also provided both goals when the sides met again in Portugal in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League play-offs, although this time it ended in a 1-1 draw; AndrĂ© Silva’s 61st-minute penalty got the home side back on terms after a Felipe own goal had given Roma a first-half lead.
• The Portuguese side turned on the style in the Stadio Olimpico return, goals from Felipe (8), Miguel Layún (73) and Jesús Corona (75) earning an impressive victory and a place in the group stage.
• Aside from the goalscorers, Iker Casillas, Maxi Pereira, Alex Telles, Héctor Herrera, Danilo, Otávio, Sérgio Oliveira and Adrián López all featured for Porto in that tie with Iván Marcano, who swapped Porto for Roma last summer, playing all 180 minutes for the Portuguese side. Juan Jesus, Diego Perotti, Kosas Manolas, Daniele De Rossi, Edin Džeko and Federico Fazio appeared for Roma.
Form guide
Porto
• Porto suffered a heavy defeat in last season’s round of 16, losing 5-0 at home to Liverpool and on aggregate. The first-leg loss to Roma means they are without a win in their last six UEFA Champions League knockout matches (D1 L5).
• Porto’s record in the round of 16 is W3 L7, and they have won only one of their last five ties. They have reached this stage for the third year in a row but have not made it to the quarter-finals since 2014/15.
• Porto have won five of their nine two-legged ties against Italian clubs, although the most recent, against Juventus in the 2016/17 round of 16, ended in a 3-0 aggregate defeat (0-2 home, 0-1 away).
• The defeat by Juventus in Portugal ended Porto’s seven-match unbeaten home run against Italian visitors (W3 D4).
• Porto won all three home games in this season’s group stage, against Galatasaray (1-0), Lokomotiv Moskva (4-1) and Schalke (3-1). They have won seven – and lost five – of their last 14 home European matches.
• The Dragons’ last European defeat before the first leg came in last season’s round of 16 first leg to Liverpool; their record between the two losses was W5 D2. Their five successive victories before their defeat in Rome set a new club record for successive wins, eclipsing their previous best set in the 1996/97 group stage.
• Porto’s tally of 16 points was the highest of any club in this season’s group stage.
• Porto have won only four of the 20 UEFA competition ties in which they lost the away first leg, most recently going down to Borussia Dortmund in the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League round of 32 (0-2 away, 0-1 home). However, three of their four victories have come when the away first leg ended in a 2-1 defeat, although they lost the last such occasion, against Real Madrid in the 1987/88 European Champion Clubs’ Cup second round (1-2 home) – only their second aggregate defeat after a 1-2 away reverse.
• Porto’s record in three UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W1 L2:
1-4 v Schalke, 2007/08 UEFA Champions League round of 16
8-7 v Once Caldas, 2004 European/South American Cup
3-5 v Sampdoria, 1994/95 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final
Roma
• Roma’s round of 16 record is W3 L3. They beat Lyon (2006/07) and Real Madrid (2007/08) in their first two appearances, but then lost to Arsenal (2008/09), Shakhtar Donetsk (2010/11) and Madrid (2015/16) before beating Shakhtar on away goals last season (1-2 away, 1-0 home).
• Roma had lost five successive matches in the round of 16 before that second-leg win against Shakhtar last season.
• Roma, runners-up in the 1983/84 European Cup, reached the semi-finals last season, beating Shakhtar and Barcelona in the knockout rounds – when a 4-1 away defeat was followed by a 3-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico – before succumbing to Liverpool.
• The Giallorossi lost all three away games in last season’s knockout rounds, and two of their three away matches in Group G in the current campaign. The 2-1 victory at CSKA Moskva on matchday four is their only win in their last eight European away games (D1 L6), since a 2-1 success at QarabaÄź on matchday two in 2017/18.
• Roma’s record in two-legged knockout ties against Portuguese sides is W3 L3; the 2016/17 defeat by Porto ended a run of three successive victories.
• Roma have drawn on their last two trips to Portugal, where their overall record is W2 D3 L2.
• That 2016 loss to Porto was only Roma’s second in their last 12 matches against Portuguese clubs (W6 D4).
• Roma have won 26 of the 30 UEFA competition ties in which they won the home first leg, most recently against Gent in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round (3-1, 7-1). The most recent of their four defeats came at the hands of Manchester United in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals (2-1, 1-7). That United tie is one of only two instances where the home first leg finished 2-1 in Roma’s favour; the other came against Real Madrid in the last 16 of the 2007/08 competition (2-1 away).
• Roma’s record in four UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W1 L3:
6-7 v Arsenal, 2008/09 UEFA Champions League round of 16
3-4 v Real Zaragoza, 1986/87 European Cup Winners’ Cup first round
3-4 v Liverpool, 1983/84 European Champion Clubs’ Cup final
4-2 v Norrköping, 1982/83 UEFA Cup second round
Links and trivia
• Marcano played for Porto between 2014 and 2018, winning the Portuguese league title in 2017/18.
• Porto coach SĂ©rgio Conceição played for Roma’s city rivals Lazio between 1998 and 2000, winning the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in his first season, a Serie A/Coppa Italia double in his second, and another domestic cup in 2003/04 following spells with Parma and Inter. His record against Roma was W2 D3 L4.
• Conceição faced current Roma coach Di Francesco four times in the Rome derby; one win for Lazio, two for Roma and a 3-3 draw in which Di Francesco scored.
• DĹľeko scored in Manchester City’s 4-0 win against Porto in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League round of 16.
• DĹľeko and Aleksandar Kolarov scored past Casillas as the latter’s Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-2 in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League group stage.
• Pepe was sent off in Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat at home to Roma in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg.
• Otávio scored past Robin Olsen when Porto drew 1-1 with København in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League group stage.
• Have played in Italy:
Alex Telles (Internazionale 2015/16)
Danilo (Parma 2011/12)
• Has played in Portugal:
Bryan Cristante (Benfica 2014–16)
• Have played together:
Danilo Antonio Mirante (Parma 2011/12)
Maxi Pereira Bryan Cristante (Benfica 2014/15)
Alex Telles Juan Jesus, Davide Santon (Internazionale 2015/16)
• Juan Jesus played for Internacional between 2010 and 12, when Otávio was in the club’s Under-17 side.
• International team-mates:
Adrián López Iván Marcano (Spain Under-21)
• De Rossi scored past Casillas when Roma lost 4-2 against Real Madrid in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League group stage.
• Casillas saved a De Rossi penalty when Spain defeated Italy on penalties in the UEFA EURO 2008 quarter-finals. The Roma midfielder scored his spot kick past Casillas in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-finals shoot-out, but Spain again emerged victorious.
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