Champions League preview: Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma

Vincenzo Montella will look to succeed where predecessor Claudio Ranieri failed when Roma take on Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

Roma suffered a 3-2 defeat at home to Ukrainian side Shakhtar in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie on February 16.

They followed it up by blowing a 3-0 lead to lose 4-3 away to Genoa in Serie A, a result that prompted Ranieri to resign as manager.

Montella, a former Roma striker, was appointed interim boss after a brief but relatively successful spell as the club’s youth coach at under-15 level.

Still only 36 years old, he guided the team to a 2-2 draw at home to Bologna in his first match in charge, before registering a 2-1 win away to Lecce on Friday.

Roma, who finished second in Serie A last season, are a distant sixth this year and – 15 points off leaders AC Milan – are effectively out of the title race.

They must surely envy their opponents on Tuesday – Shakhtar boast a commanding 12-point lead over Dynamo Kiev in the Ukrainian Premier League and are on course to retain the championship.

Brazilian striker Luiz Adriano scored Shakhtar’s third goal in their first-leg victory at the Stadio Olimpico and he was on target again on Friday in a 1-0 win away to Sevastopol.

It was their first league match since November 20 due to the lengthy winter hiatus in the Ukrainian Premier League.

Coached by veteran Romanian manager Mircea Lucescu, Shakhtar are unbeaten at home in 11 European matches since moving to the Donbass Arena in 2009.

They will be without centre-back Olexandr Kucher and Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho through injury.

For Roma, Brazilian striker Adriano is sidelined due to a shoulder problem.

Their biggest absentee will be influential French midfielder Jeremy Menez, who is suspended, as is right back Marco Cassetti.

Veteran striker Francesco Totti, who played alongside Montella, could return after missing out in the league through a domestic ban.