Roma v Porto background

Porto will look to continue their dominance over Roma as the teams are reunited in the round of 16 with the Portuguese champions having won both previous ties between the clubs.

• Porto come into this tie having won their last five fixtures to finish top of Group D, scoring three goals or more in each of their last four outings. Roma, meanwhile, were second to holders Real Madrid in Group G and have lost their last two UEFA Champions League games – although their campaign has also included their biggest victory in the competition.

Previous meetings
• Porto are unbeaten in their four matches with Roma, knocking out the Italian side in the second round of the 1981/82 European Cup Winners' Cup thanks to a 2-0 home first-leg victory that took them through by the same aggregate scoreline.

• Porto players also provided both goals when the sides met again in Portugal in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League play-offs, although this time it ended in a 1-1 draw; André Silva's 61st-minute penalty got the home side back on terms after a Felipe own goal had given Roma a first-half lead.

• The Portuguese side turned on the style in the Stadio Olimpico return, goals from Felipe (8), Miguel Layún (73) and Jesús Corona (75) earning an impressive victory and a place in the group stage.

• Aside from the goalscorers, Iker Casillas, Maxi Pereira, Alex Telles, Héctor Herrera, Danilo, Otávio, Sérgio Oliveira and Adrián López all featured for Porto in that tie with Iván Marcano, who swapped Porto for Roma last summer, playing all 180 minutes for the Portuguese side. Juan Jesus, Diego Perotti, Kosas Manolas, Daniele De Rossi, Edin Džeko and Federico Fazio appeared for Roma.

Form guide
Roma
• Roma's round of 16 record is W3 L3. They beat Lyon (2006/07) and Real Madrid (2007/08) in their first two appearances, but then lost to Arsenal (2008/09), Shakhtar Donetsk (2010/11) and Madrid (2015/16) before beating Shakhtar on away goals last season (1-2 away, 1-0 home).

• Roma had lost five successive matches in the round of 16 before that second-leg win against Shakhtar last season.

• Roma, runners-up in the 1983/84 European Cup, reached the semi-finals last season, beating Shakhtar and Barcelona in the knockout rounds – when a 4-1 away defeat was followed by a 3-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico – before succumbing to Liverpool.

• Džeko scored in Roma's last five knockout matches in last season's competition.

• Roma's record in two-legged knockout ties against Portuguese sides is W3 L3; the 2016/17 defeat by Porto ended a run of three successive victories.

• The 3-0 home defeat against Porto in August 2016 was Roma's first loss at home to Portuguese visitors since a 2-1 reverse against Benfica in March 1983. Their record between those two losses was W3 D1.

• That 2016 loss to Porto was only Roma's second in their last 11 matches against Portuguese clubs (W5 D4).

• At home in this season's group stage, Roma beat Viktoria Plzeň 5-0 – their biggest UEFA Champions League win – and CSKA Moskva 3-0 before a 2-0 defeat by Real Madrid that ended a seven-match winning European run at the Stadio Olimpico.

• Roma have now won eight of their last 16 home matches in the UEFA Champions League – qualifying included – losing five.

Porto
• Porto suffered a heavy defeat in last season's round of 16, losing 5-0 at home to Liverpool and on aggregate.

• Porto's record in the round of 16 is W3 L7, and they have won only one of their last five ties. They have reached this stage for the third year in a row but have not made it to the quarter-finals since 2014/15.

• Porto have won five of their nine two-legged ties against Italian clubs, although the most recent, against Juventus in the 2016/17 round of 16, ended in a 3-0 aggregate defeat (0-2 home, 0-1 away).

• That 2016 win at Roma was Porto's first victory in seven visits to Italy (D2 L4), since a 3-2 success at AC Milan in the 1996/97 group stage.

• Porto are unbeaten in their last five UEFA Champions League away games (W2 D3). In this season's group stage, they opened with a 1-1 draw at Schalke before victories at Lokomotiv Moskva (3-1) and Galatasaray (3-2).

• Porto have still won only three of their last nine European away games (D4 L2). They had drawn three in a row before winning at Lokomotiv.

• The Dragons' last European defeat came in last season's round of 16 first leg to Liverpool; their record since then is W5 D2. They have won the last five, setting a new club record for successive wins and eclipsing their previous best set in the 1996/97 group stage.

• Porto's tally of 16 points was the highest of any club in this season's group stage.

Links and trivia
• Marcano played for Porto between 2014 and 2018, winning the Portuguese league title in 2017/18.

• Porto coach Sérgio Conceição played for Roma's city rivals Lazio between 1998 and 2000, winning the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in his first season, a Serie A/Coppa Italia double in his second and another domestic cup in 2003/04 following spells with Parma and Inter. His record against Roma was W2 D3 L4.

• Conceição faced current Roma coach Di Francesco four times in the Rome derby; one win for Lazio, two for Roma and a 3-3 draw in which Di Francesco scored.

• Džeko scored in Manchester City's 4-0 win against Porto in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League round of 16.

• Džeko and Aleksandar Kolarov scored past Casillas as the latter's Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-2 in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Pepe was sent off in Real Madrid's 2-1 defeat at home to Roma in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg.

• Otávio scored past Robin Olsen when Porto drew 1-1 with København in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Have played in Italy:
Alex Telles (Internazionale 2015/16)
Danilo (Parma 2011/12)

• Has played in Portugal
Bryan Cristante (Benfica 2014–16)

• Have played together:
Antonio Mirante & Danilo (Parma 2011/12)
Bryan Cristante & Maxi Pereira (Benfica 2014/15)
Juan Jesus, Davide Santon & Alex Telles (Internazionale 2015/16)

• Juan Jesus played for Internacional between 2010 and 12, when Otávio was in the club's Under-17 side.

• International team-mates:
Iván Marcano & Adrián López (Spain Under-21)

• De Rossi scored past Casillas when Roma lost 4-2 against Real Madrid in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Casillas saved a De Rossi penalty when Spain defeated Italy on penalties in the UEFA EURO 2008 quarter-finals. The Roma midfielder scored his spot kick past Casillas in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-finals shoot-out, but Spain again emerged victorious.

Latest news

Roma
• UEFA Champions League squad changes
In: Daniel Fuzato
Out: Žan Celar, Luca Pellegrini

• Roma have won five of their eight Serie A fixtures since matchday six, losing only one – 1-0 at Juventus on 22 December. They were 3-0 victors at Chievo on Friday.

• After defeating Serie C side Entella 4-0 in the last 16 of the Coppa Italia, the Giallorossi went down to a 7-1 quarter-final defeat at Fiorentina on 30 January – only the sixth time in Roma's history they had conceded seven goals in a game.

• Nicolò Zaniolo scored his first professional goal in the 3-1 win against Sassuolo on 26 December. He now has three goals, in Roma's last three home games, and two assists in his last six Serie A appearances.

• Aged 19 years and 178 days, Zaniolo is the second youngest player to score three goals in Serie A for Roma behind Francesco Totti, who achieved the feat aged 18 years 201 days.

• Justin Kluivert scored his first Serie A goal in the 3-2 win against Genoa on 16 December.

• Edin Džeko scored twice in the 3-3 draw at Atalanta on 27 January, his first Serie A goals since 6 October. He was also on target at Chievo, his 83rd goal for the club – taking him level with Marco Delvecchio in eighth place in Roma's all-time scoring chart.

• Aleksandar Kolarov, who scored Roma's third at Chievo, has three goals in his last five appearances.

• Stephan El Shaarawy has found the net in three of his last four Serie A games, and has five goals in his last five league starts.

• Goalkeeper Robin Olsen (calf) and defender Kostas Manolas (groin) missed Friday's victory at Chievo.

• Diego Perotti (out since 26 December, calf) and Juan Jesus (14 January, knee) have both been sidelined, although the latter was an unused substitute on Friday.

• Cengiz Ünder has not played since suffering a thigh injury six minutes into the 3-2 win against Torino on 19 January.

• Captain Daniele De Rossi was a late substitute at Fiorentina and played 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Milan on 3 February, his first appearances since 28 October due to a knee injury. He came on for the final 14 minutes at Chievo.

Porto
• UEFA Champions League squad changes
In: Pepe, Fernando, Francisco Soares
Out: Vincent Aboubakar, Riechedly Bazoer, Chidozie Awaziem, Sérgio Oliveira, Rui Pedro

• The matchday six win against Galatasaray was Iker Casillas's 100th UEFA Champions League victory.

• Moussa Marega scored in Porto's last five UEFA Champions League group games, equalling Mário Jardel's club record. It is the longest ongoing scoring sequence in the competition.

• Porto are unbeaten in normal time since matchday six (W10 D4), and are unbeaten in the Portuguese Liga since a 1-0 loss at Benfica on 7 October; their record since is W11 D3. They needed an added-time equaliser from Héctor Herrera to salvage a 1-1 draw at Moreirense on Friday night.

• The Dragons have reached the Portuguese Cup semi-finals, beating Moreirense and, after extra time, Leixões to set up a two-legged tie against Braga.

• Porto edged through the Portuguese League Cup group stage on goals scored and beat Benfica in the semi-finals only to lose the final to Sporting CP on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Braga.

• Sporting had also ended Porto's 18-game winning streak in all competitions with a goalless Liga draw in Lisbon on 12 January. A 2-1 League Cup win at Belenenses on 30 December was Porto's 16th straight win, a new club record; their run ended level with Benfica's Portuguese record of 18.

• Marega scored in six successive games in December – eight goals in total – but has only one in nine matches since and has been sidelined since 3 February with a thigh injury.

• Francisco Soares has scored five goals in his last six league games.

• Herrera has played in 36 of Porto's 37 games this season, but Alex Telles has been on the pitch for longer (3180 minutes) in his 34 appearances.

Video Assistant Referees (VAR) will be introduced into the UEFA Champions League from this round. The VAR will be used in order to support the referee when making decisions concerning four match-changing situations:
1.    Goals
2.    Incidents in the penalty area
3.    Red cards
4.    Mistaken identity

The VAR will inform the referee when there is evidence of a clear and obvious mistake in one of these match-changing situations. The referee can then use the review area next to the pitch to take a final decision. The VAR is also able to take into account any infringement that could have taken place in the immediate build-up to the incident (the attacking phase of play).

Decisions like offside or whether a foul was committed inside or outside the penalty area will be recommended to the referee directly by the VAR and no on-field review necessarily takes place in such cases. The on-field review process will be communicated within the stadium using either the stadium screens or the public announcement system.

• Full story on UEFA.com

• Interview with UEFA's Chief Refereeing Officer Roberto Rosetti

More information on the introduction of VAR, including videos and images can be found here.