Armenia international Henrikh Mkhitaryan will face his former team Shakhtar Donetsk in Europea League Round of 16.
Roma were put up against the Ukrainian side – who they beat at the same stage of the Champions League in 2018 – during Friday’s draw for the last-16 of the competition.
The game will see Roma face one of Paulo Fonseca’s former sides for the second time in succession, after the 5-1 aggregate win over Sporting Braga in the previous round.
“The draw is what it is but it will be a tough tie because Shakhtar are a very experienced team in European competitions,” Fonseca said.
“Even this season they have beaten Real Madrid twice and I think that shows how strong they are. They have a very good coach, a Portuguese coach in Luis Castro, and a very good team. And for sure it will be a fun challenge for Paulo Fonseca as he has a great history with Shakhtar. So it will be a great occasion for him,” the Portuguese said.
Asked about the club’s chances in the competition, Pinto was clear.
“I think, more than thinking about the final, we have to think game-by-game,” he said.
“We know we will have two big battles, two big finals against Shakhtar, and our mentality has to be that each game is a final and we have to fight all the way to get through, and not worry about [the final in] Gdansk.”
