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Roma pass into their Champions League remaining-sixteen tie with Porto amid hypothesis over manager Eusebio di Francesco’s future.
Reports in Italy propose the forty nine-yr-old may be sacked if his facet loses to their Portuguese opponents on Wednesday.
The Serie A aspect maintains a 2-1 lead before the second leg after Adrian Lopez gave Porto an overdue lifeline.
Roma has been defeated 3-0 via derby opponents Lazio on Saturday, leaving them three factors adrift of the top-four places.
“We’ve attempted to enhance certain situations. Mentally it’s not going proper for us this yr, and we need to trade,” said Di Francesco.
“There’s no way you can underestimate the derby. The way we performed had nothing to do with the Champions League. This has taken place to us too often this season and we, in reality, ought to paintings on the intellectual aspect of factors.
“We seem to be on and off.”
Captain Daniele de Rossi brought: “In the last few games we’ve got struggled. It’s a second we need to regroup; we need to get ready over the next few days as we’ve got an important sport upcoming. Wednesday’s match can have a huge effect on the relaxation of the marketing campaign.”
Zaniolo double gives Roma the edge
Lazio ease to victory over Roma
At 19 years and 225 days, Nicolo Zaniolo has become the youngest Italian to score twice in a Champions League game to place Roma on top of things of the tie.
“He is turning into an excellent player,” Di Francesco said of Zaniolo. “We want to keep working hard to get rid of a few errors from his game. Sometimes he is nearly too eager to win the ball in midfield while he should play with more persistence. We can’t whine, though.”
Porto supervisor Sergio Conceicao, in the meantime, renewed his agreement with the Portuguese facet final week until 2021.
Conceicao’s side has been knocked off top-spot in Primeira Liga on the weekend after a 2-1 defeat to title opponents Benfica, but Lopez’s away aim at Stadio Olimpico has given his aspect wish of progressing to the region finals.
“We want to win the sport, however not so quickly. We have to be at an excellent level defensively, Roma have the 1/3-fine assault in Serie A. Balance might be vital to get the win,” stated Conceicao.
“The collective is what counts. Our confidence is from our daily paintings, not from any individual player.
“We need to be powerful in the assault, however additionally in defense. There’s no want for a conflict-cry: the sport is in our fingers.”
Team news
Porto hasn’t any new harm issues, with ahead Moussa Marega again after missing the primary leg with a thigh strain.
Roma defender Kostas Manolas has been handed healthy for the ride to Porto in spite of missing their defeat via Lazio on the weekend.
BBC coverage
Zaniolo is likewise available after being forced off against Lazio on Saturday, though the Italians may be without injured pair Javier Pastore and Cengiz Under.
The stats
45.8%, or 11 out of 24, of the teams to have gained 2-1 at home inside the first leg of a Champions League knockout tie have stepped forward to the subsequent spherical.
Porto defeated Roma in their previous two-legged encounters, most currently within the 2016-17 Champions League play-off.
The Portuguese side wishes to reach the zone-finals for the primary time because of 2014-15, even as Roma are aiming to achieve that stage for the first time when you consider that 2007-08.
Roma has misplaced every in their remaining seven Champions League knockout degree fits far away from home, remaining prevailing an away knockout recreation in March 2008.
Meanwhile, Porto has received none in their remaining six Champions League knockout games, dropping five and failing to attain in four of these.
And Porto hasn’t advanced from a -legged tie in Europe’s elite competition after dropping the primary leg because of October 1986.
Seven of Roma’s beginning XI in the first leg in opposition to FC Porto have been Italian – the primary time they’ve started as many in a Champions League game due to the fact 2010.
Roma had nine shots on the right track within the first leg; the most Porto had allowed an opponent inside the Champions League when you consider that April 2015 – a run of 29 video games.
Nicolo Zaniolo became the second youngest participant to attain a brace in a Champions League knockout healthy in the back of Kylian Mbappe in April 2017.
Edin Dzeko has been concerned in 14 dreams in his remaining eleven Champions League appearances for Roma. He’s simplest didn’t score or assist in one sport at some point of this run.
