Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the Coppa Italia clash between Roma and Sampdoria at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. It is a last-16 contest and it promises to be an exciting affair, and you can catch all the action live as it unfolds on this page.

Hosts Roma will consider themselves favourites to progress from this tie and into the quarter-finals. Not only have they not lost at home this season, Rudi Garcia’s side also have a better team.

However, the Lupi kicked off 2014 on a bad note as they went down 3-0 at Juventus in Serie A last weekend to fall eight points off the pace. Roma will be keen to bounce back from that defeat.

Meanwhile, Sampdoria are just four points above the relegation zone in 14th in Serie A, but under Sinisa Mihajlovic the Genoa outfit have improved and will have a chance of staging an upset in Rome this evening.

The teamsheet is out and I will type in the players’ names shortly, But I can tell you know for certain that Radja Nainggolan has been included in the Roma starting lineup, despite arriving on loan from Cagliari only this week.

ROMA XI: Skorupski; Torosidis, Burdisso, Castan, Dodo; Nainggolan, De Rossi, Taddei; Florenzi, Destro, Ljajic

SAMPDORIA XI: Fiorillo; Rodriguez, Salamon, Fornasier, Castellini; Maresca, Obiang; Wszolek, Bjarnason, Sansone; Pozzi

So Radja Nainggolan makes his debut tonight for Roma and will be joined in midfield by Daniele De Rossi and Rodrigo Taddei. Adem Ljajic, Mattia Destro and Alessandro Florenzi start in attack for the hosts, while Lukasz Skorupski gets his debut in goal.

Kickoff is just under 10 minutes away at the Stadio Olimpico. Roma will be confident of registering a win tonight, but Sampdoria’s form under Mihajlovic has been impressive and they could well create an upset.

Roma’ reached the final of the Coppa Italia last season, but lost 1-0 to their arch rivals Lazio, thanks to Senad Lulic’s goal in the 71st minute. In total, the Giallorossi have won the competition on nine occasions.

Meanwhile, Sampdoria have won the competition four times and reached the final as recently as 2009.

Kickoff is just minutes away and the two sets of players are getting ready to come out onto the pitch.

The two teams are now on the pitch and the pre-match formalities are taking place. Once that is out of the way, the real action will begin at the Stadio Olimpico.

KICKOFF Roma kick off proceedings. They are in black tonight, while Sampdoria are in white for the match.

The Roma fans are in full voice at the moment, but it is the visitors who have made the more positive start. They earn a corner after just two minutes following an attack down the right flank, but fail to create anything constructive from it.

Roma are playing the patient game at the moment and are lazily passing the ball around inside their own half. The hosts are actually struggling to come up with anything remotely imaginatively that would drive them forward.

And just like that Roma are 1-0 up! The hosts launch their first attack of the contest as Dodo floats an inviting cross from the left that falls to Destro. His effort on goal is saved by Fiorillo, but defender Vasilis Torosidis is on hand to slam home the defend from just yards out.

And as soon as the goal is scored, the match is back into the doldrums. Roma are once again playing the patient game and are being sucked back into their own area.

INJURY This could turn out to be a massive blow for Roma. Daniele De Rossi is down on the pitch and struggling with an injury. He is not one to go down easily, but he is in real pain, it appears.

The Italian midfielder is back on his feet but onlyt gingerly. He will continue playing and Roma fans must heave a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Lukasz Skorupski makes a good save after a cross is flashed across from the face of the Roma goal from the left wing.

Mattia Destro is sent through on goal by a long and low ball from inside the Roma half, but the assistant linesman correctly raises the offside flag.

Fifteen minutes gone inside this cup tie and it remains 1-0 to Roma. It has been largely a low-key affair really with the hosts not showing too much of an attacking intent. Samp are demonstrating attacking initiative, but they cannot make much headway into the tight and well-organised Roma backline.

Maybe I am repeating myself, but the pattern of the game remains the same: Roma sitting deep inside their own half and keeping the Samp attackers at bay without really losing much energy in making adventurous forays themselves.

CHANCE! Roma launch a counter-attack as Alessandro Florenzi carves out a sensational through-ball for Adem Ljajic, whose cross from the left is intercepted and kicked out for a corner. From the set piece, Mattia Destro gets a shot away on target, but Vincenzo Fiorillo makes the save.

Skorupski, who has made one decent save already for Roma between the posts, makes an easy catch of the ball as it is driven from outside the area.

CHANCE! Ambitious long-range effort from Radja Nainggolan, but it goes wide and does not really trouble Fiorillo.

CHANCE! Nainggolan comes so so close to making a dream debut as he collects a shot pass from Adem Ljajic and then tries to slot home from inside the Samp box, but cannot get it past Fiorillo.

CHANCE! Now Mattia Destro had a chance for Roma, all of his own creation. He collects the ball brilliantly inside the Samp box and does not let it go until he pulls the trigger, but Fiorillo scrambles it clear.

SAVE! Vincenzo Fiorillo makes yet another good and important save, denying Ljajic, who shoots on goal with his weaker left foot from inside the Samp box. The hosts’ effort from the resulting corner goes wide.

Roma have stepped up their game after a rather quiet opening 15 or so minutes during which they actually got a goal. Nainggolan, who seems settled already at Roma, floats in a cross from the right that no-one in a black shirt is able to meet.

Roma are in full control of the contest at the Stadio Olimpico and are pressing on for their second goal. The match is being played almost exclusively inside the Samp penalty box, with Ljajic, Florenzi, Nainggolan and Destro all looking very, very dangerous when on the attack.

Good one-two between Paolo Castellini and Enzo Maresca down the left flank for Sampdoria, but Daniele De Rossi positions himself nicely inside the Roma box to nip the danger in the bud.

SAVE! If Sampdoria do win this tie, then they must thank their goalkeeper Vincenzo Fiorillo, who has been the star for them tonight. He makes two wonder saves in quick succession. Alessandro Florenzi finds himself with a loose ball and shoots on goal, only to be thwarted by the visiting keeper. However, the ball falls back to him and he slams it hard back on goal from just yards out, but Fiorillo recovers to turn it out for a corner.

Florenzi was very, very frustrated at that double save made by Fiorillo. He kicked the advertising boards behind the Samp goal and then the side-netting, but credit to the visiting goalkeeper for keeping his team in the contest.

Five minutes left until half time and it is 1-0 to Roma, who could have added three or four more to their tally had it not been for the Samp goalkeeper.

This Coppa Italia tie has actually come into life, although it is largely one-sided. The opening 15 minutes were very much underwhelming, but things have picked up pace since then.

Nainggolan earns a corner for Roma, but they fail to turn it into anything productive. We are inching towards the half-time interval.

The game has gone a bit flat in the last couple of minutes with too many fouls being committed in midfield. I don’t think that there will be any injury time awarded at the end of the first half.

It’s half time at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome where Roma are leading Sampdoria 1-0 in their Coppa Italia last-16 tie, thanks to a sixth-minute goal from Vasilis Torosidis.

The contest had a rather quiet start despite the goal as Roma decided to sit deep and allow Samp to come at them. In fact, their goal came from their first attack of the evening. Dodo galloped down the left flank and floated in a cross that Destro tries to turn in. However, he failed but Torosidis was on hand to slam home the rebound.

Samp did endeavour to make attacking forays and did force Lukasz Skorupski into a save, but their lack of creativity was visible. And then Roma stepped up their game and could have added at least three more goals to their tally had Vincenzo Fiorillo not been in excellent form.

Nainggolan has been a bright spark for Roma on his debut, driving the game from midfield and getting into good scoring positions. He is a very talented player and already seems settled into Garcia’s style of football in the Eternal City.

The second half will begin shortly and I would not be surprised if Roma score two more goals. They have certainly looked very lively upfront and it appears to be only a matter of matter of time before they barge open the floodgates. And remember, Garcia’s side have been very, very strong at home this season.

The two sets of players are now getting ready to come out onto the pitch for the second half. Francesco Totti is on the bench tonight and could come on in the second half.

The players are on the pitch and proceedings will get underway shortly.

KICKOFF Sampdoria get the second half underway. They trail 1-0 from the first half in this last-16 Coppa Italia tie.

CHANCE! Nicola Pozzi earns a corner for Sampdoria, but not before giving Roma an early scare in the opening minutes of the second half. He takes a fierce shot on goal that is destined for the far top-right corner, but it takes a deflection off Leandro Castan and goes out.

CHANCE! Box-to-box action in the opening minutes of the second half at the Stadio Olimpico. First Destro’s cross puts the Samp defence under pressure, but the visitors eventually get the ball cleared and launch an attack of their own, which culminates in Lukasz Skorupski palming away a left-wing cross.

CHANCE! Gianluca Sansone gallops with the ball and then pulls the trigger from outside the Roma box, only for Skorupski to make a good save between the posts.

Sampdoria have certainly shown more intensity and hunger in the early minutes of the second half and have come out of their shell with more vehemence and power. They are looking dangerous when they are going on the attack, but they are actually failing to keep possession of the ball for too long.

The Roma supporters are in loud voice as usual and are cheering their team to go out and get a second goal, as Skorupski collects a floated Samp cross from the right.

CHANCE! Wonderful and crafty through-ball from De Rossi that takes out three defenders and releases Ljajic, whose shot on goal in deflected for a corner that yields nothing in the end.

The match has certainly picked up momentum and the second half has been more evenly contested than the first, at least until now.

SUBSTITUTION Sampdoria make the first change of the evening as Andrea Petagna replaced Nicola Pozzi.

Ljajic could have done better when he found himself inside the Samp penalty box, but he hogged onto the ball for too long and was eventually dispossessed, leaving Destro shaking his head in frustration.

YELLOW CARD Pedro Mba Obiang becomes the first player of the evening to get booked for a challenge on Ljajic near the centre circle.

The game has gone flat and scrappy again in the last three or so minutes and is being played out largely in midfield with occasional forays towards the Sampdoria half.

YELLOW CARD Radja Nainggolan, who was the most booked player in Serie A last season, is shown a yellow card for a rather bad challenge on Birkir Bjarnason.

Rudi Garcia’s side appear to have settled for a 1-0 scoreline, it appears, as they are showing no urgency whatsoever to double their advantage.

SUBSTITUTION Roma make their first change of the match. Debutant Nainggolan, who had a very good and productive match, is replaced by the very talented Kevin Strootman.

Let me remind you that if Sampdoria get a goal inside normal time, then the match will go into extra time and even into penalties if necessary. There will be no replays.

Can Samp carve out something from a free that they earn around 25 yards from goal? Maresca takes it with his right foot and blasts it high and wide.

SUBSTITUTION Alessandro Florenzi is now being taken off by Garcia and in his place comes Gervinho, who has looked a whole new player since joining Roma from Arsenal in the summer of 2013.

Corner for Samp again. Will they be able to take advantage of this set piece?

No, they cannot but they earn a second successive corner. Maybe this time...

No, they cannot. Once again, Samp opt for a short corner with Sansone the intended target, but they lose possession of the ball. Gervinho then launches a counter-attack as he gallops down the right flank, but his final cross is turned away for a corner.

CHANCE! Vincenzo Fiorillo makes yet another save! This time the Samp goalkeeper stretches out his leg to stop Destro from rounding him and slotting the ball into an empty net from just yards out.

SUBSTITUTION Maresca comes off for Sampdoria and he is replaced by Savvas Gkentsoglou.

CHANCE! Vasilis Torosidis goes so so close in making it 2-0 to Roma with a chip from the edge of the Sampdoria box, only for Fiorillo to tip it out for a corner, which eventually yields nothing for the home side.

Samp are displaying more urgency in attack as they know that time is running out for them to force an equaliser. However, they are being frustrated by a Roma defence, who look quite at ease really.

Sampdoria concede a corner with just five minutes of normal time remaining, although it could have been a lot worse had Adem Ljajic not kept the ball for too long yet again inside the box.

YELLOW CARD Matias Rodriguez is shown the yellow card for dissent. He commits a foul on Gervinho and then protests against the referee’s decision.

Just two minutes of normal time remain at the Stadio Olimpico and it appears that Roma should be able to progress to the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.

Nasty challenge from Dodo on Bjarnason that did warrant a yellow card, as we head into stoppage time.

Three minutes of injury time have been added.

SUBSTITUTION Birkir Bjarnason now comes off for Sampdoria and on comes Davide Gavazzi.

SUBSTITUTION Third and final change for Roma. Dodo is replaced by Mehdi Benatia.

It’s all over at the Stadio Olimpico where Roma have defeated Sampdoria 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia. Vasilis Torosidis’s goal in the sixth minute proved to be the difference between the two sides in their last-16 tie.

Roma dominated proceedings in the first half, but were ran close in the opening 15 minutes of the second period. However, Rudi Garcia’s side strolled through the final 30 minutes of the contest and could have added more to their tally had visiting goalkeeper Vincenzo Fiorillo not put in a man-of-the-match performance tonight.

Thank you very much for joining me here on Sports Mole this evening and I hope that you enjoyed our coverage of the Coppa Italia clash between Roma and Sampdoria. Have a good evening, it’s goodbye from me for now.