Liverpool are just 90 minutes away from reaching their first Champions League final since 2007, with just a Champions League semi-final second leg against Roma standing in their way. The Reds won 5-2 in the first leg, going 5-0 up before Roma fought back late on with two quick goals. Those goals could come back to haunt Jurgen Klopp’s side, as the Giallorossi came back from a three-goal deficit in the quarter final against Barcelona to get this far in the competition.
The Reds followed up their midweek heroics with a goalless draw against Stoke on Saturday lunchtime, in a game that lacked intensity from start to finish. Klopp opted not to rest his main stars at the weekend, but he’ll be pleased that Nathaniel Clyne came through unscathed, as the right-back played his first game of the season after recovering from a back injury that has kept him out of action since last May.
On the other hand, Roma came out of their game on Saturday with a 4-1 win against Chievo at the Stadio Olimpico. Goals came from Patrick Schick, a brace from Edin Dzeko and from Stephan El Shaarawy. The game also saw a red card for Juan Jesus. Chievo didn’t find the back of the net until the 88th minute.
Roma vs. Liverpool Predictions
Roma have come back from this kind of deficit already this season and they’re masters of fighting back in second legs, having done so against both Shahktar Donetsk and Barcelona. However, it seems very unlikely that they’ll be able to keep the Liverpool attacking trio quiet for the whole game, especially after seeing their tactics last week. Liverpool have the capability to dominate a game for around 15 minutes and if they can do that on Wednesday, then there’s little hope for Roma.
Roma vs. Liverpool Betting Tips
Head to Head
- Roma’s four-game unbeaten run in all competitions ended at Anfield. The first time they had conceded five goals in a game since going 6-1 down at Barcelona in November 2015.
- Roma were 4-1 winners at home to Chievo Verona on Saturday and have won five of their last six home matches. Overall their record at home this season is W15 D2 L7.
- Roma won their first three two-legged knockout ties against English clubs, but have since lost six out of six. Their last knockout tie against Premier League opposition was a 7-6 loss on penalties to Arsenal FC in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League round of 16.
- Eusebio Di Francesco’s side have scored three or more goals eight times at home so far this season.
- Roma have kept clean sheets in three of their last six home matches, having not managed one in the previous six. They have recorded ten clean sheets in 24 home fixtures in 2017/18, including all five Champions League games.
- Nine of the 28 Serie A goals Roma have conceded this season have come in the final 15 minutes.
- Liverpool are the top scorers in thie season’s Champions League with 38 goals. Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino (both ten goals) and Sadio Mane (eight) have contributed 28 of those.
- Liverpool’s away record this season is W13 D7 L5. They have lost only one of their last eight fixtures away from home, winning five.
- Liverpool have scored in 19 of their last 21 away matches in all competitions. Overall, Klopp’s side have failed to find the net in just four of their 25 away matches in 2017/18.
- The Reds have lost just one of their last 17 games in all competitions, winning 11.
- Roma’s record at home to English club is W9 D3 L4, not including that 1984 final loss to Liverpool.
- The Giallorossi have won four of the last five home games against Premier League visitors, the exception being a 2-0 loss to Manchester City in the 2014/15 group stage.
- Liverpool’s overall record in two-legged knockout ties against Italian clubs in UEFA competition is W4 L2. They have won the last two, more recently against Inter Milan in the 2007/08 round of 16.
- The Reds’ record in 26 European games against Italian teams is W10 D5 L11. This is their first contest since being paired with Udinese in the 2012/13 Europa League group stage.
- Liverpool have won all five ties in which they won by a three-goal margin at home in the first leg.
- Mohamed Salah was a Roma player between 2015 and 2017, before joining Liverpool. He scored 29 league goals in his two seasons at the Stadio Olimpico, a total he has already surpassed with his new club.
- Edin Dzeko scored three goals in 11 games against Liverpool as a Manchester City player, but none of them came in a win. His overall record against the Reds was W3 D4 L4.
Roma Team News
Diego Perotti and Kevin Strootman suffered ankle and chest injuries respectively in the first leg and both missed Saturday’s game against Chievo. However, that was seen as a precaution and both should feature on Wednesday.
Probable Roma XI: Alisson, Federico Fazio, Kostas Manolas, Juan Jesus, Florenzi, Kevin Strootman, Daniele De Rossi, Radja Nainggolan, Aleksander Kolarov, Patrick Schick, Edin Dzeko
Liverpool Team News
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain suffered a knee injury in the first leg between the two teams last week and has been ruled out for the rest of the season as a result. Emre Can is also a doubt, having not played in over a month since suffering a back injury. However, there is good news for Jurgen Klopp as Nathaniel Clyne made his first appearance in almost a year at the weekend after returning from a back injury. He’s unlikely to start in Rome on Wednesday though.
Probable Liverpool XI: Loris Karius, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dejan Lovren, Virgil Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane
