Roma start Diego Perotti as a False 9 with Stephan El Shaarawy in the Champions League against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid.
It kicks off at 19.45 GMT, follow the action and give your views on our LIVEBLOG.
Both sides have changed management since qualifying from the group phase, as Luciano Spalletti has turned Roma’s season around after replacing Rudi Garcia, while Zinedine Zidane stepped in for the unpopular Rafa Benitez.
Roma start Diego Perotti as a False 9 with Stephan El Shaarawy in the Champions League against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid.
It kicks off at 19.45 GMT, follow the action and give your views on our LIVEBLOG.
Both sides have changed management since qualifying from the group phase, as Luciano Spalletti has turned Roma’s season around after replacing Rudi Garcia, while Zinedine Zidane stepped in for the unpopular Rafa Benitez.
Spalletti is without the injured Vasilis Torosidis and Norbert Gyomber, while Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi are not at 100 per cent.
The Italian midfielder can’t make it in shielding role in front of the defence, so William Vainqueur gets the nod rather than Seydou Keita in his place.
Perotti is the surprising pick as a False 9, sending Edin Dzeko to the bench for this huge game, with El Shaarawy, Mohamed Salah, Miralem Pjanic and Radja Nainggolan in support.
It appears to be a 4-2-3-1 formation with Pjanic sitting a little deeper.
Real Madrid miss Pepe and Gareth Bale, but Marcelo is passed fit to start despite dislocating his shoulder on February 7.
James Rodriguez also starts after a back pain scare following last night’s training session.
Cristiano Ronaldo is obviously the danger man, having scored 32 goals in 31 competitive games this season, but he stormed out of a Press conference yesterday when he objected to the line of questioning.
On paper it might seem impossible, but there are some precedents that give Roma hope.
Spalletti’s Giallorossi already knocked Real Madrid out in the Round of 16, winning 2-1 home and away, in 2008.
The Merengues haven’t got past an Italian club in European elimination rounds for almost 29 years. Since beating Napoli 3-1 on aggregate in September 1987, they’ve had eight attempts and always failed.
Four of those were against Juventus, Milan twice, Torino and Roma once each. Will the hoodoo continue?
Roma: Szczesny; Florenzi, Manolas, Rüdiger, Digne; Vainqueur, Pjanic; Salah, Nainggolan, El Sharaawy; Perotti
Roma bench: De Sanctis, Maicon, De Rossi, Keita, Dzeko, Totti, Falque
Real Madrid: Navas; Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Kroos, Modric, Isco; James Rodriguez, Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid bench: Kiko Casilla, Nacho, Danilo, Kovacic, Casemiro, Jesé, Lucas Vazquez