Wily Shakhtar seek to hold Roma in check

Mircea Lucescu said FC Shakhtar Donetsk are "ready to fight" to defend their 3-2 UEFA Champions League round of 16 first-leg lead at home against AS Roma, but Vincenzo Montella believes his side have "the ambition and the ability" to prevail in his first European game as coach.

Mircea Lucescu, Shakhtar coach
The team are well prepared, we are ready to fight. The players gave their all in our latest training session and everyone is ready to play apart from Olexandr Kucher. The pitch is in excellent condition. In the past we had problems and had to play at the RSC Olimpiyskiy, but everything is very well now.

Since Vincenzo Montella's appointment Roma have changed their style. I have a feeling that the days of Luciano Spalletti are returning. We are familiar with their attacking style of play because we played against Roma five years ago in the Champions League group stage. The absence of Marco Cassetti and Jérémy Menez through suspension will not weaken Roma: they have enough top-class players to replace them.

It's very important for us to win tomorrow. Our opponents naturally want revenge, but Shakhtar have enough experience to get a proper result. We need to qualify and after that we will think about what comes next. It's too early to speak about it right now.

Vincenzo Montella, Roma coachWe have come to Donetsk with the ambition and the ability to win. Right now all of us are completely focused on Shakhtar. We will start our preparations for the derby match against [S.S.] Lazio after the Champions League game.

Shakhtar are a well-organised team. We have all had a chance to assess them from their performance in Rome. We have to make the game difficult for them. It is very important to not let them play the way they want to. I am very optimistic about our chances to win here. Roma have great potential, but we must all pull together if we are to win.

It is very important for me to achieve a unity of purpose in the team. I have a lot of enthusiasm and am trying to live up to this role. I have a good understanding with [captain] Francesco Totti. He listens to my advice and does everything I tell him to do.

Team news
• Shakhtar
Fernandinho is back in action after recovering from a broken leg, but Kucher is out with a knee problem. Dmytro Chygrinskiy, Olexiy Gay, Luiz Adriano and Răzvan Raţ are within a booking of a one-match ban.

• Roma
Menez and Marco Cassetti are serving one-match suspensions. Adriano has not played since dislocating his shoulder in January, while Simone Perrotta misses the next match if he receives a card in Donetsk.

Latest resultsThursday: FC Sevastopol 0-1 Shakhtar
(Luiz Adriano 90+6)
Lucescu's side prevailed in their first Ukrainian Premier League fixture since 28 November, and have now won their last 13 competitive matches, and 28 of their 31 fixtures this term. Shakhtar have won all 15 of their home games this season, and 18 in a row at home in all competitions.

Friday: US Lecce 1-2 Roma
(Giacomazzi 75; Vučinić 32, Pizarro 90pen)
David Pizarro's first goal since 14 March 2010 earned Roma's seventh win in 19 away games this season. Of the 39 Serie A goals the Giallorossi have conceded this season, 25 have come in the last half-hour of games.

Did you know?
Shakhtar have gone through on the five previous occasions they won the first leg of a European tie away from home, including in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round when a 3-2 victory at Boavista FC was followed by a 1-1 draw in Ukraine.

Roma bring Adriano back to Italy

AS Roma have announced the signing of Brazil striker Adriano from CR Flamengo on a free transfer.

The former FC Internazionale Milano forward, 28, has signed a three-year deal with Roma. Nicknamed 'l'Imperatore' – the Emperor – Adriano arrived in Italy for the first time in 2001, signing for Inter and going on to score 48 goals in 123 Serie A appearances.

However, he spent much of his stint in Milan on loan to other clubs, including ACF Fiorentina, Parma FC and São Paulo FC, eventually returning to his first club Flamengo last year after ending his contract with the Nerazzurri by mutual consent. In his first season back in his homeland, he helped the Brazilian club win the national title with 19 goals in 32 games. He has also struck 27 times in 47 senior appearances for the Seleção, but is not in Dunga's FIFA World Cup squad in South Africa.

Roma captain Francesco Totti said: "I want to give the Emperor a warm welcome to Rome. We will do everything possible to help him feel at home. We have a few Brazilian players in the squad and I'm sure they will help Adriano adapt quickly. I'm sure he will show us all the qualities we know he has, and together we can achieve great results." Roma will play in the UEFA Champions League group stage next season after finishing second in Serie A.

Adriano and Roma part company

AS Roma have cancelled their contract with Brazilian striker Adriano by mutual consent with the 29-year-old having failed to score in five Serie A games this season.

Adriano joined Roma from CR Flamengo on a three-year contract last summer, and is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury. Nicknamed 'l'Imperatore' – the emperor – Adriano first came to Italy to join FC Internazionale Milano in 2001, and also had loan spells at ACF Fiorentina, Parma FC and São Paulo FC before returning to his first club, Flamengo, in 2009. Adriano has scored 27 goals in 47 senior appearances for Brazil.

Spain: Sevilla FC v FC Barcelona (Sunday, 21.00)

With Gregorio Manzano's eighth-placed outfit striving to push themselves back into European qualifying contention, the Andalusians will not want to lose to table-topping Barcelona. A daunting task, yet not an impossible one according to Sevilla midfielder Diego Perotti. "Barcelona are the best, but little by little other teams are beginning to understand them more," the 22-year-old Argentinian said. "They play a different style of football to everyone else but we have to be focused and stand up to them. Beating Barcelona would not save our season but it would feel great."

Austria: FK Austria Wien v SK Rapid Wien (Sunday, 16.00)

The 296th edition of the most celebrated Vienna derby finds 16-time champions Rapid sixth in the Bundesliga and eight points short of leaders Austria Wien. Midfielder Veli Kevlak is nursing a stress fracture of the kneecap and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink has torn a thigh muscle, leaving Rapid with two big pairs of boots to fill as they seek a repeat of their 1-0 success over Austria Wien at the Franz-Horr-Stadion earlier this term. However, their rivals expect a battle, regardless of who does or does not play. "Even if Rapid are a long way behind us, we have to give everything we've got in these matches," warned Austria Wien's right-back Florian Klein.

Italy: AS Roma v S.S. Lazio (Sunday, 15.00)

Eliminated by FC Shakthar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday, Roma must attempt to blaze a trail towards next season's competition when they play fourth-placed S.S. Lazio in the 'derby capitolino'. Five points and two positions behind their city rivals, the Giallorossi have taken seven points from three Serie A outings since Vincenzo Montella took over from Claudio Ranieri. "We have a chance to respond immediately to the Shakhtar defeat," said Roma defender Nicolás Burdisso. "This is the most important game of the season." Lazio striker Sergio Floccari concurred: "The derby is always the game for us but this one is particularly important because it could be crucial in the race for the Champions League."

Romania: FC Rapid Bucureşti v FC Dinamo Bucureşti (Saturday, 19.00)

The Bucharest duo sit level on points in fourth and fifth spots in Liga I but, having fallen 12 adrift of leaders FC Oţelul Galaţi, neither can afford to slip up as they scramble for European qualification. Rapid are without suspended defender Marius Constantin, with captain Costin Lazăr also a doubt amid wrangles over a contract extension. "I only want players who are totally focused," said coach Marius Șumudică, whose side last beat Dinamo in August 2008. Dinamo boss Ioan Andone "could not sleep" after last week's 2-2 home draw with struggling CS Pandurii Lignitul Târgu Jiu, yet may rest easier given a victory at Rapid. "We still believe we can win the title, but to get back into the race we have to win our next three matches," he said. "Against Rapid anything can happen."

Czech Republic: FC Viktoria Plzeň v AC Sparta Praha (Saturday, 17.20)

On a seven-game winning run, Sparta will look to go top in the Czech Republic for the first time this season as they meet First League frontrunners Viktoria Plzeň, who led them by 12 points during the autumn. Sparta coach Jozef Chovanec serves a touchline ban, but January signing Tomáš Pekhart – who scored 11 top-flight goals for FK Jablonec before the winter break – could make his league debut for the club. Plzeň have just one victory from their last four matches, and dropped two points with a missed penalty at 1. FC Slovácko on 5 March, yet Sparta cast-offs Pavel Horváth, Daniel Kolář and Jan Rezek have a point to prove. Coach Pabel Vrba said: "These players are at their best under pressure."

Germany: FC Bayern München v Hamburger SV (Saturday, 15.30)

Hamburg boss Armin Veh described this fixture as a game "between two stricken sides", with both clubs falling well short of expectations this season. Bayern, in fifth, have little hope of defending their Bundesliga title while Hamburg – two positions further back – are out of the all-important European places. This week it was also announced that Veh and Bayern coach Louis van Gaal would be leaving their posts at the season's end. Will that undermine their teams? "Only the future will tell," Veh said cryptically. "If you win, it works. If you lose, it might work eventually, but people start saying it doesn't." Bayern captain Philipp Lahm added: "The team have to respond now, every player has to do his duty."