Opta Big Match Stats: Roma to kill Man City's late push

Gervinho has fired three times in the Champions League already

A score draw away to Roma might be enough to see Man City through, but even that won't be easy...

Roma v Man City
Wednesday, 19:45
Live on Sky Sports 5

Match Odds: Roma 2.526/4, Man City 3.02/1, The Draw 3.613/5

Roma have won five of their last seven European home games against English opposition

Serie A may not be the force that it once was - as Premier League enthusiasts seem to take a strange pleasure in pointing out - but Italy isn't a fun place to visit when your Champions League existence is in the balance. Arsenal found it out when losing 0-2 to Napoli in their final group tie last term or when being thrashed 0-4 by AC Milan in 2011/12, while Man City's maiden challenge in 2011/12 was effectively ended by a 1-2 defeat to Napoli. Roma have won eight out of ten as hosts this season, whereas the Citizens have lost seven of their 12 prior Champions League away encounters.

Recommended Bet: Back Roma to win @ 2.526/4

Sergio Aguero has scored five goals in the Champions League this season

This would be an uplifting stat for the visitors were Aguero available, yet with the Argentine almost certain to miss out through injury, all it does is draw attention to there having only been two other Man City goals in continental combat in 2014/15, one of those scored by the absent Yaya Toure. The sole Citizen in Rome who has notched in Group E isn't Edin Dzeko, Stevan Jovetic or Samir Nasri - it's James Milner, who hasn't struck besides that in 2014. Roma shut out five of their last eight guests.

Recommended Bet: Back Roma to keep a clean sheet @ 3.8514/5

Gervinho has the joint-highest shooting accuracy among players with more than five attempts at target (87.5%)

Much as he showed in his displays for Lille and Ivory Coast before joining Arsenal in 2011, Gervinho has proven in his year-and-a-half since leaving the Gunners for Roma that he is far more effective than anyone in England appeared willing to give him credit for. In addition to being the joint-most accurate player in the Champions League alongside Karim Benzema, the wide man has netted three times at the Stadio Olimpico in the competition: twice against CSKA Moscow and once past Bayern.

Recommended Bet: Back Gervinho to score @ 3.211/5