Champions League preview and odds: Roma vs Real Madrid

Published on: 15/02/2016

Champions League preview and odds: Roma vs Real Madrid

February 16, 2016 19:45pm - Olympic Stadium

Champions League - Round of 16, First leg

Zinedine Zidane will make his Champions League coaching debut on Wednesday when he leads his Real Madrid side out at the Olympic Stadium in Italy`s capital to take on Luciano Spalletti`s Roma.

Real Madrid out to break Italian hoodoo

Real Madrid have lost their last eight Champions League matches against Italian opposition - a run that Zidane will be keen to bring to an end. The Spanish side finished unbeaten at the top of Group A under the guidance of Rafa Benitez and will be expected to make it at least to the final four.

Zidane has plenty of pedigree in this competition as a player but this will be his first experience of champions League football as a Coach.

Los Blancos are currently enjoying a nine-game unbeaten run which began with the 10-2 demolition of Rayo Vallecano back in December.

New man in charge at Roma

Like Real Madrid, Roma have also had a change of Coach since they played their last Champions League game back in December. Rudi Garcia was the man to depart, while Luciano Spalletti was drafted in to revive their mid-season slump.

The new boss faces the difficult challenge of finding a way past the 10-time former champions over two legs, and leading his side to their first quarter-final in eight years. His team conceded more goals in the group stages than any of the other qualifying teams.

Under the guidance of their new boss, the Italian side have improved in the league and come into this game on the back of four straight wins.

Team news

The home side will be without the injured Capradossi, while De Rossi, Salah, Totosidis and Totti are all doubtful.

Meanwhile, the visitors will be without Bale and Pepe, while Marcelo is a nursing a bad shoulder and may also miss out.

Recent form (All competitions)

Roma: WWWWL

Real Madrid: WWWLW

Betting odds and tips

Roma are in good form and have a decent record at home. In the group stages, they held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw and could cause similar problems for their next Spanish visitors on Wednesday.

Real Madrid have won just one of their last five away games in all competitions, and have lost their last eight CL games against Italian teams.

The Roma/Draw Double Chance could be worth a bet at evens with Bet365.

By Neil Morris

Published on: 15/02/2016

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (15/02/2016 16:26:59) but are subject to change.