FCB have previously played six games against Ukrainian opposition, all of them against Dynamo Kyiv. The Reds have an excellent record in the pairing with four wins, a draw and only one defeat. In the 1998/99 Champions League campaign the men from Munich prevailed in a hard-fought semi-final, with the two matches ending 3-3 and 1-0.
Premiere against Shakhtar
Bayern and Shakhtar Donetsk are set to meet for the very first time, but Pep Guardiola coached Barcelona in five games against the Ukrainians. The Spaniard’s record is an impressive four wins from the five meetings.
Strong in attack, strong in defence
Both Bayern and Shakhtar conceded only four goals in the group stage. FCB kept four clean sheets with the men from Donetsk managing three. The teams are no attacking slouches either: Bayern (16) lie second only to Chelsea (17) in terms of total goals scored, but Donetsk have netted 15 of their own. Nine of those came from star striker Luiz Adriano, who leads the Champions League scoring charts from Lionel Messi (8).
Shakhtar still in mid-season break
Bayern could well gain an advantage from the fact that Shakhtar Donetsk have yet to emerge from their winter break, as the Ukrainian domestic league does not restart until 28 February, depriving Tuesday’s opponents of match practice. Mircea Lucescu’s men last contested a competitive fixture 69 days ago in the 1-1 Champions League group stage draw against Porto.
No danger of suspension
No FC Bayern player carries two yellow cards into the Round of 16 first leg clash, with Mehdi Benatia also eligible again following his red card against Manchester City last autumn. Shakhtar are without midfielder Taras Stepanenko, who serves a one-match ban for accumulating three yellows in the group stage.
Spanish match official
Pep Guardiola’s fellow-countryman Alberto Andiano Mallenco has been appointed to referee the game in Lviv. The Spaniard takes change of a Champions League match involving Bayern for the second time this term: Mallenco refereed Munich’s 1-0 home win over Manchester City in the opening match of this season’s competition.
Topics of this article