After a two-month break, the European Champions League 2018/2019 edition will resume on Tuesday, February 12, for its knockout phase. Roma and Porto will make the ball roll for the first leg of the round of 16 in the Olympic stadium in Rome, starting at 18h (Brasília time). The second meeting in Portugal is scheduled for March 6.Advances who reaches the most points. In case of equality, goal balance and number of goals away from home are used as tiebreaker criteria. If that is not enough, the setting will happen by charging penalties. Teams that qualify for the quarterfinals will be submitted to a new draw that will define the crosses until the decision, which is scheduled for June 1, at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid. At this stage there is no direction in the draw.
Rome
Two months after the end of their UEFA Champions League group stage appearance, Roma appear to have not left. He will enter the field without the confidence of his fans and coach Eusebio di Francesco needing the result not to lose his job. Something that has been happening from this past season.Di Francesco and his somewhat daring style of acting have been criticized by Roman fans since the start of his work in the 2017/2018 season. However, when he took the UCL (Uefa Champions League) semifinals to Rome, he won the prize for his position despite a purely protocol campaign in the Italian League.This year, the situation is repeating itself with even worse results in the national field. Roma were eliminated from the Italian Cup when they suffered a historic 7-1 defeat at Fiorentina. On Friday, February 8, he was able to relieve some of the pressure before re-scoring in the Champions League by beating Chievo, the Italian Serie A lightning 3-0 at home. A rare convincing victory of the Romans.They went on to 38 points (ten wins, eight draws and five losses). It was enough for them to stay in the qualifying zone for international tournaments in the 2019/2020 season, but still below the previous year. The sixth place they hold gives place in the Europa League. In order to guarantee once again the participation in the UCL it is necessary to be among the first four. This block is closed by Milan, which has one more point.The team’s performance as a client is slightly higher. In this respect, Roma is the fifth best in the Italian Championship. Of the 33 points they played in the Olympic stadium, they won 22 (six wins, four draws and one loss) having scored 28 goals and suffered 17.
In the first phase of the Champions League, the team reached nine points (three wins and three defeats), ranking second in Group G, which had Real Madrid (12 points) as champion. He overcame Plzen (seven), Czech Republic, and CSKA (seven), Russia.For the encounter with the Port, Di Francesco has problems of contusion that can influence its escalation. Goalkeeper Robin Olsen is one of those in charge of the medical department and depends on a new assessment that will determine if he can act, but he’s not the only one in that situation. Also in the infirmary are the defender Konstantinos Manolas; and midfielders Diego Perotti and Cengiz Under.
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Porto
Porto performed much better than the one shown by Roma in the first phase of the Champions League. In fact, it was the best of the 32 teams that participated in that stage reaching the level of 16 (five wins and one draw) of 18 possible points with 15 goals scored and six conceded. Group D champion, left behind Schalke (11 points), also ranked; Galatasaray (four); and Lokomotiv Moscow (three).The team has maintained extreme consistency also in the local competitions, although it has been giving signs of recent fall of performance. On Friday, February 8, for the Portuguese Championship, a goal by Herrera in the second-half extra time prevented the defeat for Moreirense, 1 to 1, at the rival’s home.The attempt was of double importance. Not only did he guarantee the team the isolated leadership of the First League, but also prevented their unbeaten series, which started on October 19, from being interrupted. Now the list contains 26 matches (21 wins and 5 draws), which include first-round matches in the Champions League.
Football Prediction of the Day Roma vs Porto
However, the five equalities have been recorded in the eight most recent games showing that the team is losing its breath. Among those draws are the 1 to 1 with Sporting in the decision of the League Cup of Portugal. Porto lost the trophy in the penalty shootout.The stumble on Friday also allowed Benfica to approach in the Portuguese title fight. With 51 points (16 wins, three draws and two losses), Porto is ahead. But the Lisbon rival is only one point behind.
Bet Tips: Roma
Odds: 2.10
