Zidane centre stage as Real Madrid visit Roma

The spotlight will shine on Zinédine Zidane when AS Roma host Real Madrid CF in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie, with the Spanish side having lost their last eight two-legged ties against Italian opposition.

• This is the first UEFA Champions League match as Madrid coach for Zidane, the man who replaced Rafael Benítez at the helm in January – and who scored the Merengues' winning goal in the 2002 final in Glasgow.

• Roma have also changed their coach with Rudi Garcia replaced by Luciano Spalletti, who helped the Serie A side overcome Madrid last time they met in this competition.

Previous meeting
• The clubs have met eight times in UEFA competition with four wins for Madrid, three for Roma and one draw.

• The clubs met most recently in a pre-season friendly in Melbourne on 18 July last year, Benítez's first game as Madrid coach. Roma prevailed 7-6 on penalties after a 0-0 draw, Seydou Keita converting the winning kick after Morgan De Sanctis had saved from Lucas Vázquez.

• Their most recent official encounter was in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 in 2007/08 when Spalletti's Roma recorded 2-1 home and away victories.

• Then as now, the first leg was at the Stadio Olimpico and though Raúl González struck first, Roma hit back through David Pizarro and Mancini to end a run of three home defeats against the Spanish side.

• The lineups on 19 February 2008 were:
Roma: Doni, Panucci (Tonetto 67), Mexès, Juan (Ferrari 77), Cassetti, De Rossi, Pizarro (Aquilani 62), Giuly, Perrotta, Mancini, Totti.
Real Madrid: Casillas, Ramos, Cannavaro, Heinze, Torres, Diarra (Drenthe 79), Gago, Guti, Robben (Júlio Baptista 79), Van Nistelrooy, Raúl.

• Francesco Totti scored in the clubs' first encounter in the 2001/02 first group stage. His penalty could not prevent a 2-1 Madrid win in Rome, where Luís Figo and Guti were on target. Totti then struck again in a 1-1 draw back at the Santiago Bernabéu.

• In the 2002/03 first group stage, a Madrid side including Zidane won again at the Stadio Olimpico (3-0) but Totti got the only goal as Roma turned the tables in the Spanish capital.

• Daniele De Rossi opened the scoring when Madrid beat Roma 4-2 at home in the 2004/05 group stage and they won the return in Rome too (3-0) in the last of Zidane's 14 career appearances against the Giallorossi (W7 D5 L2).

Match background

Roma
• Roma are looking to reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2008.

• They qualified for the last 16 as Group E runners-up behind FC Barcelona, despite winning only one game (3-2 at home v Bayer 04 Leverkusen).

Roma won just once in the group stage©AFP/Getty Images

• The Giallorossi lost 6-1 at Barcelona on 24 November and have the worst defensive record of the 16 sides to qualify for the knockout stage (16 goals conceded).

• Roma held Barcelona 1-1 at the Stadio Olimpico on matchday one, leaving them with the following home record against Liga sides: W6 D1 L5.

• Roma's record in two-legged ties against Spanish teams is W2 L3.

Real Madrid
• After winning Group A, Madrid are now pursuing a sixth successive quarter-final appearance.

• The ten-time European champions were one of only two sides to progress undefeated from the group stage (W2 D1 away from home).

• Madrid lost 2-1 at Juventus on their last visit to Italy in last season's UEFA Champions League semi-final, en route to a 3-2 aggregate defeat.

• Madrid have won none of their last eight away matches against Italian sides (D4, L4).

• Madrid have lost their last eight two-legged knockout ties against Serie A opposition. Their last victory was in the 1987/88 European Champion Clubs' Cup first round against SSC Napoli (aggregate 3-1). Emilio Butragueño, now a club director, scored in the 1-1 second-leg draw in Naples.

Coach and player links
• Zidane spent five seasons in Italy with Juventus (1996–2001), winning two Serie A titles. His combined record against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico as a player with Juventus and Madrid was W3 D3 L1.

• Zidane faced Totti in the UEFA EURO 2000 final which France won 2-1 after extra time. They met again in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final when Zidane scored France's goal with a penalty but was sent off in extra time. De Rossi also played and converted a penalty in Italy's 5-3 shoot-out triumph.

• De Rossi missed a spot kick in Italy's shoot-out defeat by Sergio Ramos’s Spain in the UEFA EURO 2008 quarter-finals. De Rossi featured again when the Azzurri lost 4-0 to a Spain side featuring both Ramos and Álvaro Arbeloa in the UEFA EURO 2012 final.

• Keita played in Spain for Sevilla, Barcelona and Valencia. With Barcelona (2008–12), he featured in their 2009 and 2011 UEFA Champions League final triumphs as well as the 2011 semi-final success against Madrid. His overall record against Madrid in Spain was W11 D4 L2. His one goal against them came in Sevilla's 2-0 home Liga victory in November 2007.

©Getty Images

• Cristiano Ronaldo helped Manchester United FC to back-to-back UEFA Champions League quarter-final wins over Roma (2007, 2008). In 2007 he struck twice in a 7-1 Old Trafford rout of the Giallorossi – in which De Rossi got Roma's goal – and the next year scored in a 2-1 away win.

• Gareth Bale faced Maicon when his Tottenham Hotspur FC side took on the Brazilian's FC Internazionale Milano in the 2010/11 group stage. Bale got a hat-trick in a 4-3 away defeat and then helped Spurs win 3-1 at home.

• James Rodríguez and Gervinho both scored when Colombia defeated Ivory Coast 2-1 in the group stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

• Iago Falque began his career at Barcelona but played just one league game for their B team before spells at UD Almería and Rayo Vallecano.

• Edin Džeko scored the opening goal in Manchester City FC's 3-2 group stage defeat at Madrid in 2012/13.

• De Sanctis played for Sevilla in 2007/08, while Diego Perotti represented the Andalusian club between 2009 and 2013.

• As an Inter player, Mateo Kovačić appeared at the Stadio Olimpico in a 4-2 loss to Roma in November 2014.

• Players who have played together:
Morgan De Sanctis & Zinédine Zidane (Juventus, 1997–99)
Lucas Digne & Raphaël Varane, Karim Benzema (France)
Antonio Rüdiger & Toni Kroos (Germany)
Maicon & Marcelo, Casemiro, Danilo (Brazil)

Match facts

Roma
• De Rossi and Radja Nainggolan are a booking away from a suspension. 

• Roma have lost just one of their last 13 games in all competitions, drawing seven of them, a sequence dating back to early December.

• The Olimpico outfit have won their last four matches, their best run of the campaign.

• Džeko's goal in the 3-1 success at Carpi FC 1909 on Friday was his first since 24 November.

• The Giallorossi parted company with Rudi Garcia on 13 January. Luciano Spalletti returned to the club to begin his second spell as Roma coach the following day.

• January signing Stephan El Shaarawy scored on his Roma debut, the 3-1 home victory over Frosinone Calcio, and struck again in the 2-0 success at US Sassuolo Calcio three days later.

• Fellow new arrival Perotti, set up by El Shaarawy, opened his Roma account during the 2-1 defeat of UC Sampdoria on 7 February.

• With eight Serie A goals to his name, Roma's top scorer Miralem Pjanić is enjoying the most productive season of his career.

• Alessandro Florenzi's long-range strike against Barcelona on matchday one was voted by UEFA.com users as the best goal of the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League group stage.

UEFA Champions League squad changes
• In: Stephan El Shaarawy (AC Milan, loan), Ervin Zukanović (Sampdoria, loan), Diego Perotti (Genoa CFC, loan)
• Out: Juan Iturbe (AFC Bournemouth, loan), Gervinho (Hebei China Fortune FC)

Real Madrid
• Casemiro will incur a suspension with his next yellow card.

• Real Madrid are undefeated in nine games, six of which have come under Zidane.

• Zidane succeeded Benítez as coach on 4 January with the Whites third in the Liga, four points adrift of then leaders Atlético Madrid.

• Madrid have scored 20 goals and conceded three in Zidane's four home fixtures in charge. On Saturday, the Merengues had Raphaël Varane sent off late on as they defeated visitors Athletic Club 4-2.

• Luka Modrić's late winner in the 2-1 victory over Granada CF on 7 February was his first Liga goal since 27 September 2014.

• Benzema has scored 16 goals in his past 12 outings in all competitions, including two hat-tricks, and had found the net in each of his last six games until he drew a blank on Saturday.

• Ronaldo, on target twice at the weekend, has 19 goals in his last 14 matches in all competitions.

• Marcelo (shoulder), Pepe (foot) and Bale (calf) are rated doubtful to face Roma.

UEFA Champions League squad changes
• In: Mariano Díaz Mejía, José Carlos Lazo (B list), Philipp Lienhart, Alvaro Tejero Sacristán (B list)
• Out: Abner, Denis Cheryshev (Valencia CF, loan)