Shakhtar Donetsk welcome Borussia Dortmund to the Donbass Arena in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League clash on Wednesday, with both teams tipped as outside bets for the competition.
The Ukrainian outfit emerged from a group that contained both Juventus and Chelsea, while they have also impressed in the league this season. They currently top their domestic table with 51 points having won an incredible 17 of their 18 matches to date.
Dortmund had an equally tough ask in the group stages of the competition, but the German champions managed to top a section that included Premier League champions Manchester City and La Liga champions Real Madrid.
The German outfit have struggled in the league this season, however, as they sit some 15 points leaders Bayern Munich, with some suggestions that the club have prioritised success in the European competition.
Dortmund have won each of their last two matches against their opponents on Wednesday, with the latest victory coming in August 2011. Meanwhile, no Ukrainian team has ever beaten Dortmund in a European competition.
Despite impressing this season, Shakhtar have won just two of their last seven Champions League matches at home, but they are unbeaten in their last four encounters with German clubs.
The home side have an almost fully-fit squad to choose from, with Luiz Adriano, who has scored three goals in the competition this season, expected to start in attack alongside Eduardo.
Dortmund will be without Kevin Grosskreutz for the match, with the 24-year-old suffering with a viral infection. They are also sweating on the fitness of Ilkay Gundogan, but Mario Gotze and Marco Reus have both been passed fit.
Recent form:
Shakhtar: WWWWL
Dortmund: WWWWL
Possible lineups:
Shakhtar: Pyatov; Kucher, Chygrynskiy, Rakitskiy, Srna; Costa, Fernandinho, Teixeira, Ilsinho; Adriano, Eduardo
Dortmund: Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Hummels, Subotic, Santana; Kehl, Bender; Reus, Gotze, Blaszczykowski; Lewandowski
Sports Mole says: 1-1
Matt Law
