Champions League Matchday 4: Manchester United vs Roma facts

After a heavy defeat in Italy in their most recent UEFA Champions League fixture, Manchester United must regroup swiftly to face more Serie A opposition as Roma come to Old Trafford on Matchday 4.

Previous meetings

United have won five of the sides' eight games, Roma recording two victories.

The Red Devils have won all four home matches against Roma, scoring 15 goals – most notably a 7-1 success in the 2006/07 quarter-final second leg (8-3 aggregate) in which Michael Carrick scored twice and Cristiano Ronaldo registered his first goal in the Champions League proper.

The most recent meeting between the teams at Old Trafford ended in a 6-2 United win in the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg, Bruno Fernandes scoring twice for the home side and Lorenzo Pellegrini on target for the visitors. Bryan Cristante scored Roma's second goal in a 3-2 second-leg win as United progressed 8-5 on aggregate.

United have won only one of their last four European games against Serie A sides (D1 L2), losing 1-4 at Como on Matchday 3, but have been beaten in only three of their 21 at home (W15 D3). Most recently, they beat Atalanta 3-2 in the 2021/22 Champions League group stage to make it eight wins in the last ten (D1 L1).

None of United's 21 home matches against Italian visitors finished goalless.

Roma have won only one of their 21 away matches against English clubs (D8 L12), 1-0 at Liverpool in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup fourth round – a tie they lost 1-2 on aggregate. They are without a win in 16 subsequent visits (D6 L10), conceding at least once in all of them, and drew 2-2 at Tottenham Hotspur on their last visit on Matchday 5 of the 2024/25 Europa League.

The Giallorossi have therefore never won an away match in the Champions League proper against an English club (D3 L7).

Club history

Manchester United

This is United's 26th Champions League campaign – an English record – but a first in three seasons. In their most recent, in 2023/24, they were fourth in a section also including Bayern München, Copenhagen and Galatasaray (W1 D1 L4).

The Red Devils' last European campaign ended in a 0-1 defeat by Tottenham in the 2025 UEFA Europa League final in Bilbao.

United were absent from UEFA competition in 2025/26 for the first time since 2014/15 and just the second since 1989/90.

Roma 

The Giallorossi are ending a seven-season absence from the Champions League proper; this is their 12th appearance overall. The last, in 2018/19, ended in a 3-4 aggregate defeat by Porto in the round of 16.

Roma spent 2025/26 in the Europa League, finishing eighth in the league phase (W5 D1 L2) before losing an all-Italian tie 4-5 against Bologna in the round of 16.

Links and trivia

Roma's Paulo Dybala and United defender Matthijs de Ligt were Juventus team-mates between 2019 and 2022.

Dybala twice played United in the 2018/19 Champions League, scoring in Juve's 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini was in charge of the Atalanta side that lost 2-3 away and drew 2-2 at home against United in the 2021/22 group stage.

Donyell Malen played for Aston Villa from 2025 to 2026, making two substitute appearances against United (W1 L1).

United players with Serie A experience include De Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu. De Ligt won all three of his league meetings against Roma with Juventus while Zirkzee scored and provided an assist for Bologna in his last game against Roma, a 3-1 away win on 22 April 2024.

The 1-4 loss at debutants Como last time out means United have won only two of their last 12 Champions League matches (D3 L7).

However, United are unbeaten in eight home European games, winning the last seven (W7 D1) – including 4-0 against Sabah on Matchday 1.

The Manchester club have scored four or more goals in their last four UEFA home fixtures.

None of United's last 51 UEFA competition matches has finished goalless.

Marcus Rashford has made 49 Champions League appearances.

A 4-0 home win against Slovan Bratislava on Matchday 3 ended Roma's five-game run without a European victory (D3 L2).

Roma are unbeaten in six away UEFA matches (W3 D3).

The Italian side have conceded in their last 32 away games in the Champions League proper, a run that began with their 1-7 defeat at United in April 2007.

Roma have won only one of the 28 away matches in the Champions League proper in which they conceded first (D5 L22).

Malen has been directly involved in six of Roma's eight goals in this season's league phase (three goals, three assists) and has scored in his last two appearances.