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AS Roma vs FC Porto Prediction & Betting tips
On Tuesday-evening, the Champions League will resume with the first match between Roma and FC Porto. Can Roma distribute the first tap against a Porto in blood form?
AS Roma:
AS Roma is present for the second season in a row in the knockout phase of the Champions League. Last season the Romans even managed to push through to the semi-final by eliminating Shakhtar Donestk and the big Barcelona. In the semi-final, Liverpool was eventually too strong: in Liverpool it was no less than 5-2 for the English, after which Roma won at home with 4-2 and thus a goal was too short to force an extension and keep a chance at a final place.
This season Roma did not have the most difficult draw, as it was divided into a group with Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen. The six group matches were divided over three victories (2 on CKSA and 1 on Plzen) and three defeats (2 against Real Madrid and 1 against Plzen), with which the team of Eusebio di Francesco finished in second place in the wake of Ajax ‘opponent Real Madrid.
In the Serie A run Roma very changeable: the team already suffered thirteen times point loss in 23 games, but with 38 points is still in fourth place, which gives right to participate in the champions ball. The backlog of leader Juventus has already risen to 22 points, meaning that the team will no longer play a role in the title race this season. The fourth place in their own country seems to be the most feasible and Roma is going to have a lot of trouble to keep AC Milan, Lazio Roma and Atalanta Bergamo, who are all within a few points, behind them.
At Roma there are the necessary personal worries: goalkeeper Robin Olsen, defender Kostas Manolas and striker Patrick Schick will probably have to pass the at least the first match against Porto. This almost certainly means another place for Rick Karsdorp, who seems to have played in the team during the last few weeks.
FC Porto:
FC Porto seemed well on its way to become the sole ruler in Portugal this season. It won no less than eighteen official matches in all leagues between October and January and had a comfortable lead of at least six points on pursuers Sporting Braga and Benfica. In recent weeks, some hair cracks have been visible in the dominions of Os Dragoes (the Dragons). The team was eliminated in the Portuguese Cup by Sporting Lisbon and played twice in a row in February in the league against Guimarães and Moreirense. This enabled Benfica to shorten the weekend to one point.
FC Porto went into the nose with two fingers in the Champions League. In a group with Lokomotiv Moscow, Schalke 04 and Galatasaray, the Portuguese won no less than five of their six games and only had to allow a point-division to visit Schalke 04. That this does not offer any guarantee for a successful knock-out phase, the Portuguese experienced last year when Sergio Conceição’s team broke no less than 0-5 against Liverpool in the first leg, making the return at Anfield a formality.
Conceição has the necessary personnel problems at the forefront: two of his three strikers are not available due to serious injuries. Vincent Aboubakar tore off his cruciate ligament in September and Moussa Marega, top scorer of the team with five goals in the Champions League, tore a muscle in his upper leg. As a result, Tiquinho Soares will man the point of attack, supported by Jesús Corona and Yacine Brahimi.
AS Roma vs FC Porto head to head matches
23.08.16 CL AS Roma FC Porto 0 : 3
17.08.16 CL FC Porto AS Roma 1 : 1