Roma await Zidane’s Real

Ghent’s Thomas Matton (from left), Danijel Milicevic, Stefan Mitrovic, Gustav Wikheim and Kenneth Saief at a training session in Ghent on Tuesday, the eve of their Champions League last 16 first-leg match against Vfl Wolsfsburg. (Photo: AFP) The prospect of spoiling Zinedine Zidane’s Champions League coaching debut with Real Madrid may be formidable, but Roma midfielder Seydou Keita believes his side can upset the 10-time record champions in their last 16, first leg clash.

“How we line up against them is down to the coach, but for me, we have to believe in ourselves and go on the pitch convinced,” said the Malian ahead of Wednesday’s tie in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

Former Barcelona midfielder Keita knows his opponents well having won 11 matches with the Catalans in the 17 times he played against the arch Liga rivals.

“This game will be difficult, but not impossible,” added Keita of Real’s miserable record against Italian teams in the competition.

Roma coach Luciano Spalletti, brought back to the club recently following the sacking of Frenchman Rudi Garcia, was at the helm when the Italians prevailed over two legs in 2008.

Roma beat Real 2-1 at home, a score they would repeat at the Santiago Bernabeu before being humbled 3-0 by eventual winners Manchester United in the quarter-finals.

Real have made it to the semi-finals of the competition the past five seasons, claiming their historic 10th title, ‘La Decima’, in 2014 when current manager Zidane was assistant to Carlo Ancelotti.

Efforts to go one step further last year were rebuffed when Juventus claimed a 2-1 win in Turin and booked their final place against Barcelona thanks to a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu.

But there is little chance Zidane is entertaining another early exit and the former France and Juventus great comes to Rome with only one defeat from his six-game tenure so far, during which Real have scored 23 goals.

Despite it being his Champions League debut as coach, Zidane’s past experience in the competition gives him the knowledge of what it takes to succeed in Europe’s premier club competition.

“When you’re a player, you dream of playing in the World Cup, but you can dream of the Champions League every year,” said Zidane.

“We are prepared and we want to do something important in this competition.”

Wolfsburg head to Ghent In Berlin, VfL Wolfsburg head to Belgian league side Ghent with renewed confidence after Germany’s Julian Draxler helped break their six-match winless streak.

German cup holders Wolfsburg powered their way into the knock-out stages by beating Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United 3-2 at home last December to condemn the Red Devils to the Europa League.

Germany midfielder Draxler ran riot while Brazilian defender Naldo headed two goals to put Wolfsburg in the last 16 of Europe for the first time in the club’s history.

But since beating United, the Germans failed to win any of their next five games until Draxler scored in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Ingolstadt to stay eighth in the Bundesliga.

The 22-year-old World Cup winner finished the move he started before defender Robin Knoche added the second after the break.