Our prediction for this Europa League match:
AS Roma
Match Time & Date:
11/03/2021
21:00
Prediction: 2-1
Shakhtar Donetsk
Roma will be aiming to build on a hard-fought 1-0 win over Genoa when they take on Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League last 16, first leg. The Romans have slim chances of winning Scudetto, and, no doubt, they are eager to go all the way in the Europa League. Even though Edin Dzeko is likely to miss the game through injury, we are tempted to put our money on the Giallorossi, who have turned their Stadio Olimpico into a real fortress.
Shakhtar, on the other hand, eliminated Maccabi Tel Aviv in the previous round, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry against Roma. In their last meeting in the “Eternal City” Roma defeated Shakhtar Donetsk thanks to Edin Dzeko’s goal, which is yet another reason why we are tempted to put our money on the Italian outfit.
Highlighted Player (Nikola Kalinic):
Nikola Kalinic is a product of Hajduk Split’s youth school. The 187-cm-tall striker scored 32 goals in 59 appearances for Hajduk at senior level and he played for the likes of Pula and Sibenik in Croatia as well. In 2009 he moved to Blackburn Rovers for fee of £6 million.
Nikola Kalinic made his Blackburn Rovers debut against Sunderland on 22 August, 2009 and he scored his first goal for the Riversiders against Peterborough United in the League Cup. After making 44 league appearances for Blackburn Rovers, the Croatian attacker joined Dnipro in 2011 and he played for the Ukrainian outfit until 2015.
Kalinic signed a four-year deal with Fiorentina on 15 August, 2015 and he impressed in the 2015/2016 Serie A campaign, scoring 12 goals in 36 games. The Fiorentina striker made two appearances for Croatia at the 2016 European Championship in France and it has to be noted that he found the net in a 2-1 win over Spain in the group stages of the competition.
Highlighted Team (Shakhtar Donetsk):
Despite the fact that they were founded back in 1936, Shakhtar Donetsk were struggling to win the Ukrainian Premier League trophy until 2002. The Miners have established themselves as the dominant force in Ukrainian football and it has to be noted that they won their ninth domestic trophy in 2014.
Shakhtar Donetsk were playing at Donbass Arena in the past, but due to war in Donbass the club temporarily moved to Arena Lviv. In 2009 the Miners won the UEFA Cup trophy under Romanian boss Mircea Lucescu, beating Werder Bremen in the title game. Croatian full back Dario Srna was named the man of the match. Dynamo Kiev are considered Shakhtar Donetsk’s main rivals and there have always been fireworks in meetings between the two sides.
Shakhtar have a rivalry with Metalurh Donetsk as well and the two local rivals face each other in the Donetsk Derby. Chelsea ace Willian, Manchester United star Mkhitaryan and Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho all played for Shakhtar in the past.
Leicester 
Man City 
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Fiorentina 
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Benfica 
