Liverpool were unstoppable against Manchester City and have been rewarded with a two-legged semi-final tie with AS Roma who themselves surprised quite a few with their incredible demolition of soon to be crowned Spanish champions Barcelona. Jurgen Klopp’s side will fancy their chances but so will Roma, which gives us a tie that could have quite a few thrills and spills.
While Liverpool are the highest scoring team in the Champions League this season, Roma have been extremely disciplined at the back and haven’t conceded a single goal at home, which means the hosts of the first leg will have to get a good result at Anfield, like they did against Manchester City in the previous round. Newly crowned PFA Player of the year winner Mohamed Salah is in stunning form and will want to put his former side to the sword.
The two sides have faced off five times and Liverpool have lost just once, winning thrice. The most high-profile clash between the two sides was undoubtedly the 1984 European Cup final that Liverpool won on penalties.
Team News
Liverpool will be without Emre Can, Adam Lallana and Joel Matip for the tie. Joe Gomez’s return is a positive, but we expect Trent Alexander-Arnold to start the tie as the right-back. Andy Robertson should return to the left after being rested. Mane, Firmino and Salah will lead the line.
The team will also be boosted by Jordan Henderson’s return who was suspended for the second leg clash against Man City but it didn’t matter in the end.
Roma will recall Dzeko, De Rossi, Ünder and Florenzi to the starting XI. They were rested against SPAL this past weekend and they’ll be expected to play a big role in the tie.
League form heading into the tie
Liverpool surprisingly threw away a two-goal lead against West Brom to drop two points but Roma dispatched SPAL by three goals to keep their place in the Champions League spots. It’s safe to say Roma are in better form but this is one fixture for which the league form goes out of the window as the teams were rotated and the main players will be fresh.
Roma played a Christmas tree setup against SPAL and though Liverpool are known for their pressing, the Italians themselves can turn the screws when needed and snuff the opposition out of the game by pressing them.
Odds
Liverpool: 8/15
Draw: 10/3
Roma: 9/2
