Roma and Juventus were the two Serie A sides in the mix for the Champions League draw this Monday morning as the ties were decided at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon. The Bianconeri – last year’s finalists – were pulled out first and face a trip to Wembley where they will face Spurs. Although the two sides have never faced each other in a competitive tie, Mauricio Pochettino’s side hosted the Bianconeri in a pre-season friendly back in August.
Spurs were the 2-0 victors at Wembley with goals from Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane, and it was a match that gave the latter a good feeling ahead of the opening Premier League match. "A lot of their players played in the Champions League Final last season and we dominated from the start, pressed high, got that early goal and controlled the game from there,” said the Englishman to the Tottenham official website after the match. “It was a great performance and one that will give us a lot of confidence going forward into the new season.”
Juventus have been eliminated in their last five knockout games against English opposition and will face their former player Fernando Llorente. The Spaniard scored 26 goals over two seasons in all competitions for the Bianconeri, and was part of the squad that reached the 2014/15 Champions League final, coming on in the last five minutes in an eventual 3-1 defeat to Barcelona.
Roma meanwhile received an arguably easier tie when they were drawn against Shakhtar Donetsk and club official Francesco Totti was quietly optimistic. “Given who was in there, it went well,” the legend told SportMediaset. “Don’t underestimate them though, because they’re technically and physically strong and play well at home. It’ll be an open game, but the further you go the harder it is.”
The Giallorossi finished above Atletico Madrid to earn a place in the knockout stages, achieving an impressive four points in two matches versus Chelsea. An encounter with the Ukrainian side back in 2011 will provide a useful warning though, Roma losing 6-2 on aggregate in the round of 16 with Willian and Douglas Costa both on the scoresheet for Shakhtar.
Over in the Europa League, Atalanta were handed a tough test versus Borussia Dortmund, having topped the group over Everton and Olympique Lyonnais. Dutchman Peter Bosz was sacked at Dortmund this weekend after a winless run of 12 games with former Cologne boss Peter Stoger appointed as his replacement, and fans of the Italian side will be hoping that their veteran boss Gian Piero Gasperini can drive his side to another European upset.
Lazio were also handed a German opponent in Red Bull Leipzig, and Milan were drawn versus Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets. The Rossoneri have qualified in each of their five knockout ties with Bulgarian teams in Europe, and boss Gennaro Gattuso will seek to keep that trend going.
The fixtures will go ahead as follows:
Juventus - Tottenham Feb 13th & March 7th
Shakhtar - Roma Feb 21st & March 13th
All Europa League ties will be played on 15th Feb & 22nd Feb.
