Roma relish United revenge mission

AS Roma are on a mission to exorcise the demons of their heaviest European defeat when they meet Manchester United FC in a repeat of last season's UEFA Champions League quarter-final.

• The Giallorossi recorded a 2-1 first-leg lead in the Italian capital 12 months ago but were then blown away in a 7-1 dismantling at Old Trafford that marked United's biggest win in UEFA club competition since 1968.

• One year on Luciano Spalletti's men will try again, albeit knowing they have already suffered at the English champions' hands again this season when losing a group-stage fixture 1-0 in Manchester. That result on 2 October, secured by Wayne Rooney's 70th-minute strike, ultimately meant United finished above Roma in Group F.

• The teams subsequently drew 1-1 in their final group match on 12 December, Mancini cancelling out Gerard Piqué's 34th-minute opener with the Roma equaliser 19 minutes from time.

• The lineups that evening in Rome were:
Roma: Doni, Cicinho, Matteo Ferrari, Philippe Mexes, Ahmed Apimah Barusso (Ludovic Giuly 62), Antunes, David Pizarro, Mauro Esposito (Mirko Vučinić 62), Taddei (Daniele De Rossi 46), Mancini, Francesco Totti.
Manchester United: Tomasz Kuszczak, Danny Simpson, Gerard Piqué, Jonny Evans, John O'Shea (Wes Brown 54), Chris Eagles, Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick, Nani, Louis Saha, Wayne Rooney (Dong Fangzhuo 74).

• Roma and United had never met prior to last season's quarter-final. The Serie A side ran out 2-1 winners in the first leg on 4 April 2007, goals from Taddei (44 minutes) and Mirko Vučinić (66) sandwiching Rooney's effort on the hour.

• The lineups for that first-leg tie were:
Roma: Doni, Marco Cassetti, Cristian Chivu, Philippe Mexes, Christian Panucci, Daniele De Rossi, Simone Perrotta, Christian Wilhelmsson (Mirko Vučinić 62), Taddei (Aleandro Rosi 82), Mancini, Francesco Totti.
Manchester United: Edwin van der Sar, Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Gabriel Heinze, John O'Shea, Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs (Louis Saha 77), Ole Gunnar Solskjær (Darren Fletcher 72), Wayne Rooney.

• Six days later, on 10 April, United overwhelmed their opponents on a night where five home players - Michael Carrick (2), Cristiano Ronaldo (2), Alan Smith, Rooney and Patrice Evra – featured on the scoresheet. Daniele De Rossi struck Roma's goal.

• The lineups that evening were:
Manchester United: Edwin van der Sar, Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Gabriel Heinze, John O'Shea (Patrice Evra 52), Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Carrick (Kieran Richardson 73), Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs (Ole Gunnar Solskjær 61), Wayne Rooney, Alan Smith.
Roma: Doni, Marco Cassetti, Cristian Chivu, Philippe Mexes, Christian Panucci, Daniele De Rossi (Ricardo Faty 86), David Pizarro, Christian Wilhelmsson (Aleandro Rosi 88), Mirko Vučinić, Mancini (Stefano Okaka Chuka 90), Francesco Totti.

• This is Roma's third quarter-final following previous appearances in the last eight in 1984 and last season. In contrast, United are appearing in their 14th quarter-final. They won nine and lost four of the previous 13.

• Roma reached this stage by finishing second in Group F with a record of W3 D2 L1 and then overcoming Real Madrid CF in the first knockout round. David Pizarro (24) and Mancini (58) scored the goals that earned a 2-1 comeback win in the first leg against Madrid at the Stadio Olimpico and Spalletti's side secured an identical victory in the return where Taddei (73) and Vučinić (90+2) struck either side of Madrid's Raúl González.

• For their part, United topped Group F with five wins and one draw and then defeated Olympique Lyonnais in the last 16. Carlos Tévez's 87th-minute goal earned Sir Alex Ferguson's side a 1-1 first-leg draw at Stade de Gerland before Ronaldo scored the only goal of the return after 41 minutes.

• Roma are unbeaten in nine home matches in the UEFA Champions League, a run that spans the last two seasons and comprises six wins and three draws.

• United are one of three teams, alongside FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC, who remain unbeaten in this season's competition. Away from home they have recorded two wins and two draws.

• Roma's ten previous home encounters against English opponents have produced five wins, three draws and two defeats. They won their first three two-legged ties against teams from England but have now lost their last four.

• United have traditionally enjoyed little success on their travels to Italy, losing ten and winning just two of 14 previous matches. It took them eight attempts to record an away victory against Italian opposition, although they certainly broke their duck in style by defeating Juventus 3-2 in the 1999 UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg.

• In two-legged ties against Italian teams, they have won three and lost six – the most recent a 5-3 aggregate defeat by AC Milan in last season's UEFA Champions League semi-finals which was sealed by a 3-0 second-leg reverse in Milan.

• Prior to last season the Giallorossi had reached the last eight of Europe's élite competition only once before – in 1983/84, the season they went all the way to the final before losing on penalties to Liverpool FC in the Stadio Olimpico.

• Rooney has struck five goals in six games against Serie A opposition in the last two seasons.

• Ronaldo had not found the net in the UEFA Champions League prior to last April's 7-1 win against Roma. Including his two goals against the Giallorossi that night, he has now scored nine in his last ten appearances in the competition.

• Simone Perrotta was born to Italian parents in the Lancashire town of Ashton-under-Lyme, a half-hour drive from Old Trafford and also the birthplace of England's 1966 FIFA World Cup hero Sir Geoff Hurst.

• Christian Panucci and Matteo Ferrari had short spells in the Premier League with Chelsea FC and Everton FC respectively. Panucci spent part of 2000/01 on loan at Chelsea while Ferrari was at Everton for the entire 2005/06 campaign.

• Edwin van der Sar played in Serie A between 1999 and 2001 with Juventus, while Mikaël Silvestre spent 1998/99 at FC Internazionale Milano. His compatriot Evra also played in Italy in the late 1990s for Marsala Calcio and Monza Calcio but never appeared in the top flight.