Liverpool vs Roma: Two “underdogs” battling for a coveted spot in the final

It’s set to be a very entertaining showdown as Liverpool take on tournament surprises Roma at Anfield on Tuesday evening.

Liverpool themselves have been very impressive in the Champions League this term, notably cruising past Portuguese outfit Porto in the round of 16 before crushing Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the quarter-finals.

Jurgen Klopp’s men had to navigate through a two-legged playoff against Hoffenheim just to get to the group stages, and despite some wobbles, managed to complete the next round on top of their quartet as well as sans suffering a single defeat. However, once things got into the knockout rounds, they have largely gone from strength to strength, and certainly will be fancying their chances against Roma as they aim to book their spot in the finals.

Considering they could have been paired with reigning champs Real Madrid, or serial Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich, Klopp probably will be a bit “relieved” that they will face Roma first. Still, the hosts obviously won’t be taking the Giallorossi too lightly. Eusebio Di Francesco’s side have been equally as impressive this term. For starters, Roma weren’t given much of a chance in their quartet, which also contained Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, yet they managed to concede just three goals at home en route to topping their group.

As a result of their hard work, they were given an “easier” opponent in the form of Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk, but they nearly threw away this gift as their opponents were desperate to book their quarter-finals berth – as the only time they even got there, they beat Roma several seasons back. Fortunately for the Lupi, it wasn’t set to be a case of déjà vu and they successfully survived thanks to a narrow 1-0 home win.

Their present for getting to the quarter-finals? A match-up against none other than Barcelona. And when that tie was announced, many already wrote Roma off – including the Blaugrana and the Catalan press, who arrogantly were already looking forward to who Lionel Messi & Co. would face in the semi-finals.

Well, as the old saying goes, “Never underestimate your opponent”. Barcelona did just that, and figured after a comfortable 4-1 win at Camp Nou – during which there were a couple of questionable calls that didn’t go Roma’s way – they were through.

However, a vital away goal netted by Edin Dzeko gave the Giallorossi hope, and they showed the Spanish powerhouse the error of their ways as they thoroughly beat them 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico to book their first semi-finals spot in over 30 years. It send shockwaves around the world and delight for Roma fans as well as those who wanted to see the underdog finally win.

As Italy’s sole representative remaining in European competition, Roma will want to make the nation proud by making it to their first European final since 1984. Interestingly enough, the last time they got there, they were knocked out by Liverpool on spot-kicks and now will have to see through 180 minutes of football against a very strong Reds side. One player in particular could come back to haunt them – none other than Mohamed Salah, who was sold to Liverpool earlier this summer.

Salah, who recently became the first Egyptian to clinch the coveted PFA prize, has often given credit to his time in Serie A in helping him become the player he is today. The speedy winger, who was discarded by Chelsea, found his footing at Fiorentina before moving on to Roma, and now has netted an astounding 31 league goals and 41 in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Dzeko continues to impress for Roma after winning the Capocannoniere last term. The ex-Manchester City man, who was linked with a move to Chelsea has netted 20 goals across all comps – less than half of Salah’s total – but will nonetheless be the go-to man for the visitors as they aim to at least grab one away goal.

So, who will come out on top in this contest? Well, ahead of the game, here are some interesting facts and stats to consider:

• Roma won their first three two-legged knockout ties against English clubs
• However, they have since lost all six of their last meetings
• Liverpool have an overall record against Italian clubs of W9 D5 L11
• When it comes to two-legged knockout ties, their record is W4 L2
• Liverpool and Roma have met five times previously
• The head-to-head record stands as Liverpool (W2) Roma (W1) and two draws

Roma, of course will also be gunning for revenge after their heart-break in the 1984 European cup final, but Liverpool are on the cusp of their first finals appearance in over a decade. Plenty of back-stories and intrigue, then, as fans look forward to what should be an intriguing clash between two sides which many figured wouldn’t have even gotten to this juncture. Indeed, many thought they could be seeing a final four of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Manchester City.

Well, Roma and Liverpool have crashed the party. And one of these two sides will be at the finals next month. Which one will it be?