Champions League play continues with the Round of 16 matches getting underway. Real Madrid and AS Roma now prepare to take the pitch in the first leg of their head-to-head as both teams begin to pick up form in their respective leagues. With new managers at the helm, Real Madrid and AS Roma look to get a jump start in the tournament by winning their first match against one another.
Zinedine Zidane will lead Real Madrid into Champions League play for the first time after replacing Rafael Benitez at the start of the new year. Zidane started his coaching tenure with Real on a high note. The squad won five of their first six La Liga matches with the manager at the helm. Now they hope to carry that success into Champions League against AS Roma. It is no secret Real Madrid needs to put on a good showing in this match after they were shut out of Copa del Rey play thanks to Barcelona. The team is confident Zidane is the man to lead them.
"He's a coach who loves the sport and who likes to play attacking football. He likes to play quick possession football," Raphael Varane said, via UEFA.com. "He's added in more physical work in the training sessions, which is allowing us to press higher up the field. He's close to his players. He likes to chat with us and show us videos so that we can improve the finer details."
AS Roma is also entering Champions League play with a new coach after Rudi Garcia was fired. Luciano Spalletti has taken over the Italian squad in this match will be his first real test with the team. Roma comes into the game with a great attacking offense thanks to a strong mid-field line. However, their defense is the biggest question as they could have a hard time boxing in Cristiano Ronaldo and company. Roma's defense is one of the worst in the tournament during the group stages. Now they have to face one of the top scorers in Ronaldo who has 11 goals in tournament play.
Both Real Madrid and AS Roma were facing uncertain futures at the start of the tournament. However, now they are both picking up steam, looking much improved from just a few months ago. That should make this match one to watch in the tournament.