Basel look for lightning to strike twice against Roma

FC Basel 1893 welcome AS Roma for the second leg of their Group E double-header knowing they would take a step closer to reaching the last 16 for the first time since 2002/03 if they could repeat their Matchday 3 victory in Rome.

• Basel's 3-1 win at the Stadio Olimpico left them second in the section albeit level on three points with both CFR 1907 Cluj and Roma.

Previous meetings
• Basel will hope to repeat their 2-0 home success against Roma on the opening matchday of the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League, when Carlitos (11) and Federico Almerares (87) scored.

• The lineups for that game on 17 September last year were:
Basel: Costanzo, Inkoom, Atan, Abraham, Safari, Carlitos, Cabral, Chipperfield, Stocker (Unal 90+1), Frei (Ferati 90+3), Streller (Almerares 85).
Roma: Júlio Sérgio, Motta, Mexès, Burdisso, Riise (Tonetto 64), Taddei, De Rossi, Pizarro, Menez (Guberti 46), Totti, Júlio Baptista (Vučinić 64).

• Roma won 2-1 in the Stadio Olimpico return on 3 December, replying to Benjamin Huggel's 18th-minute goal through Francesco Totti's penalty (32) and Mirko Vučinić (59). While Roma finished top of the section, Basel were eliminated after losing their final group game against Fulham FC.

• Totti also scored when the clubs met in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage, Roma winning 3-1 at home. Taddei and Shabani Nonda got their other goals before Mladen Petrić's late reply for Basel. Both sides advanced to the knockout rounds.

Match background
• Roma have never won in Switzerland, recording two draws and two defeats.

• Basel have made life difficult for previous Italian visitors. Besides beating Roma last term, Basel overcame Juventus 2-1 in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League second group stage, then drew 1-1 with FC Internazionale Milano in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. Adriano scored Inter's goal and followed it up with two more in the Italian side's 4-1 second-leg win.

• Basel have won seven of nine European home games since the start of last season. Although beaten by FC Bayern München on Matchday 2, they earlier defeated Debreceni VSC and FC Sheriff in UEFA Champions League qualifying at St. Jakob-Park.

Team ties
• Basel coach Thorsten Fink struck twice against Roma in a 3-0 victory for Karlsruher SC in the first leg of a UEFA Cup second round tie in 1996/97. It was the only time he scored more than once in a UEFA club competition game. Totti appeared as a 65th-minute substitute for Roma who, in Fink's absence, won the return 2-1.

• Totti made his European debut at Neuchâtel Xamax FC as an 80th-minute substitute in a 1-1 draw in the UEFA Cup first round in September 1995.

• Totti scored in both legs of Roma's UEFA Cup third round tie against FC Zürich in 1998/99: the 88th-minute winner in a 1-0 home success then a 90th-minute equaliser in a 2-2 away draw.

• Vučinić struck Montenegro's goal in a 1-0 victory against Switzerland in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying on 8 October. Switzerland's team included Alexander Frei, Xerdan Shaqiri, Valentin Stocker and Marco Streller.

• Daniele De Rossi was a late substitute in Italy's 1-1 draw with a Switzerland side including Frei, Huggel and Shaqiri in a Geneva friendly before the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

• Scott Chipperfield was in the Australia team beaten by an added-time Totti penalty for Italy in the last 16 of the 2006 World Cup, Simone Perrotta also featuring for the Azzurri. In the group stage, Chipperfield's Australia lost 2-0 to Brazil with Adriano scoring the opening goal and Juan also in the Brazil team.

• Frei scored Switzerland's goal in a 2-1 friendly defeat by Italy in April 2003. Perrotta was in the Azzurri side.

• John Arne Riise was in the Liverpool FC team eliminated from the UEFA Champions League first group stage by Basel in 2002/03 following a 3-3 draw in Switzerland.