UEFA Champions League 2017-2018 Quarterfinals: Roma Vs. Barcelona, Start Time, Live Stream, Preview, Odds
Serie A club AS Roma will host La Liga powerhouse FC Barcelona at Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday for the second leg of their quarterfinals meeting in the 2017-2018 UEFA Champions League. Barcelona routed Roma, 4-1, in the first leg last week at Camp Nou.
Start Time And Streaming Info
The game starts at 8:45 p.m. UTC+2. It can be viewed live online via FuboTV.
Roma
I Giallorossi have lost their last two games, including the embarrassing 1-4 defeat at Nou Camp last week. Head coach Eusebio Di Francesco’s side dropped a 0-2 decision to Fiorentina in their most recent fixture held also at Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.
The loss snapped Roma’s four-game undefeated run in the Serie A, dropping them to the fourth spot of the Italian top-flight table with only seven games left in their campaign this season.
In an interview prior to this match, Di Francesco encouraged his team to “do the unthinkable” against the mighty Barca squad, who have recently set an unbeaten record in La Liga. SkySports reported that the manager urged his players to “give the second leg their all” as they try to advance in the semifinals of the prestigious continental tournament.
“We must always play at our best for this shirt, even more so in this game since we have to overturn the scoreline from the first leg,” Di Francesco said. “We’ll play our strongest line-up against Barcelona. We must play with passion, heart, and belief right up until the final whistle if we want to do the unthinkable. We have a duty to give it everything.”
Barcelona
Meanwhile, Barca still looks invincible as ever after the team thrashed Leganes, 3-1, at Camp Nou last Saturday for their 38th consecutive unbeaten performance in the Spanish top-flight, equaling the current league record.
No other than five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi scored the hat trick for Barcelona as the Legionaries managed to respond with only a single goal during the match. Messi netted his first two in the first half before Leganes midfielder Nabil El Zhar cut down the lead to one in the 68th minutes. Messi netted his third goal three minutes before full-time to seal the victory for the Blaugrana.
However, head coach Ernesto Valverde is not taking Roma lightly, saying that it would be a mistake “to think that we are already in the semifinals.” Valverde said that the team must treat the game as if it is still 0-0 as football is an unpredictable sport.
Predicted Lineup
Here is the potential starting XI for both sides via 101 Great Goals:
Roma starting lineup (4-3-2-1 formation): Becker; Kolarov, Fazio, Manolas, Peres; Pellegrini, De Rossi, Strootman; El Shaarawy, Florenzi; Dzeko.
Barcelona starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Ter Stegen; Alba, Umtiti, Pique, Semedo; Iniesta, Busquets, Rakitic, Dembele; Suarez, Messi.
Odds
Here are the odds, per Bwin:
Roma – 4/1
Barcelona – 31/50
Draw – 17/5
