Champions League favourites FC Barcelona take on Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk at the Camp Nou on Wednesday in the first leg of the sides' quarter-final. With Real Madrid's massive victory over upstart Tottenham Hotspur on the other side of the bracket, it seems certain that whoever emerges from this matchup will face Cristiano Ronaldo and company in the semi-finals. Will Barcelona set up a dream tie against their arch-rivals, or will Shakhtar continue to defy the odds and spring a shocker on their illustrious hosts?
Preview: FC Barcelona Vs. Shakhtar Donetsk, 2011 UEFA Champions League
Giving Shakhtar even a glimmer of a chance seems to be well beyond most pundits, but it’s worth pointing out that the Ukrainian champions finished at the top of Group H ahead of and absolutely annihilated Roma in the Round of Sixteen by an aggregate score of 6-2. They’ve also had some previous success against Barcelona in European competition, suffering a close 2-1 loss at home to Pep Guardiola’s side in the 2008/09 group stages before pulling off a 3-2 victory in Barcelona after the eventual Champions had already secured first place in Group C.
They’re not a bad team, in other words - you really can’t be a bad side to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League unless you are this year’s incarnation of Inter Milan - and Barcelona will have to tread very carefully here. Shakhtar are packed to the teeth with exciting attacking players (six young Brazilians complement the Ukrainian core) - while they’re probably not at Arsenal’s overall level on the attack, they’re not far off, and they’re also more or less healthy.
Particularly impressive are the Shakhtar fullbacks. Both Darijo Srna and Razvan Rat are more than capable defensively and provide the team with a ludicrous amount of width going forwards, helping fuel an attack which would otherwise mostly resolve around Brazilian Jadson’s play in the middle. The twin striking options of Luiz Adriano and former Arsenal man Eduardo are dangerous as well, and the wide players in their standard 4-2-3-1 - expected to be Willian and Douglas Costa, have the pace to get in behind the opposition fullbacks and cause havoc with an overload while the centre forward and Jadson flourish in the spaces left behind.
Of course, Barcelona aren't half bad either. The Catalonians are, in fact, the most irresistible attacking force on the planet, and it would be insane to install them as anything other than heavy favourites in this match. We know the names: Lionel Messi, possibly the best forward to ever live. Xavi Hernandez. David Villa. Andres Iniesta. Sergio Busquets. Pep Guardiola's side's movement is sublime, the passing and possession superb, and they are very very difficult to stop once they get going.
Barcelona need little in the way of talking up, anyway. If all goes to plan their midfield three will keep the ball and test the defence as the attacking trident makes their runs, with Dani Alves storming up the right wing in support. Xavi and Sergio Busquets are both the best in the world in their positions, while Iniesta isn’t too shabby either. They epitomise the possession game, and if their opposition tries to match them, they’ll lose. Typically quite badly.
So what can Shakhtar do about that, assuming just rolling over and dying isn’t the easiest option? They’re unlikely to be able to physically intimidate their hosts, but they’re perfectly capable of defending deep and hitting on the counterattack, which seems the most likely option. However, they might also just take their chances and play their game, in which case... well, they’ll probably get destroyed. But they might not.
Injuries and Suspensions
Long-term captain Carlos Puyol remains a key absence for Barcelona, who go from solid to decidedly shaky at the back when the centre half is missing. To make matters worse for Guardiola, Puyol's backup Eric Abidal is also out after an operation to remove a liver tumour, which will probably force Sergio Busquets to centre back and Javier Mascherano into the midfield. This is a major problem for the hosts, as Mascherano is far more prone to mistakes in the centre than is Busquets as well as being less able to shut down mobile playmakers like Shaktar's Jadson. Messi is still recovering from a leg injury sustained during the international break, but he's expected to take his place in the lineup.
For the visitors, vice-captain Fernandinho is back after a long lay-off thanks to a broken leg suffered in October against Obolon Kyiv. Fernandinho is a ludicrously fast central midfielder with some shooting ability who’s been keenly missed by Shakhtar, although it’s unclear whether or not he’ll play with Jadson in such good form. Srna, Luiz Adriano, Raţ, Dmytro Chygrynskiy, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Olexiy Gai are each one booking away from being suspended in the return leg.
Time
First leg: 7:45 PM GMT (2:45 PM EST) Wednesday, April 5th.
Expected Lineups
Barcelona (4-3-3): Victor Valdes; Adriano, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Dani Alves; Javier Mascherano, Andres Iniesta, Xavi; David Villa, Lionel Messi, Pedro.
Shakhtar Donetsk (4-2-3-1): Andriy Pyatov; Razvan Rat, Dmytro Chygrynskiy, Yaroslav Rakitskiy, Darijo Srna; Tomas Hubschman, Henrikh Mkhitaryan; Willian, Jadson, Douglas Costa; Luiz Adriano.
Pick
Although Shakhtar have more of a shot here than most give them credit for, it’s very hard to see them taking a positive result from the Camp Nou, or even seeing much of the ball. It’s going to be a rough game for Mircea Lucescu’s side - but they might just snatch a crucial away goal. 4-1 Barcelona.
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