The Round of 16 in the Champions League will begin on Wednesday for Roma and Real Madrid, as they collide at Stadio Olimpico for the first game of their knockout round matchup.
Real Madrid will enter the match as likely favorites since they led Group A in the Champions League with 16 points and dominated the competition.
Los Blancos were victorious in five of their six matches in the group stage, with the only match they failed to win a scoreless draw versus second-placed Paris Saint-Germain (13 points) back in October.
Real closed the group stage with an 8–0 drubbing of Malmo FF last December and are currently on a nine-game unbeaten streak (seven wins) in La Liga play.
The Spanish club is thriving in La Liga and is third in the table with 53 points, hoping it can bring the momentum to Wednesday's clash with Roma.
Unfortunately for Los Blancos, star midfielder Gareth Bale is still out after a slight problem with his recovery from a calf injury suffered last month against Sporting Gijón, BBC Sport reported.
Since hurting his calf, Bale has been sidelined for Real, although before the recent setback, there were news that he might be ready to return.
Real manager Zinedine Zidane understands that Bale is still not at a hundred percent and is not looking to rush things.
Meanwhile, Roma are heading to the first leg of their Round of 16 matchup riding a four-match winning streak in Serie A.
Roma's latest success, a 3–1 win over Carpi, is huge for the club since star forward Edin Džeko ended his scoring drought which began last November.
If they are experiencing success in Serie A, the Italian club is hoping for the best versus Los Blancos since they struggled to win in the group stage of Champions League play.
Even if they entered the knockout round, Roma only finished with six points in Group E and had a 1–3–2 record.
The match between Real Madrid and A.S. Roma will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 2:45 p.m. EST. To watch via live stream, click here.
