As if Shakhtar Donetsk weren’t already anxious about having to take on Pep Guardiola’s terrifyingly strong Bayern Munich (Tuesday, 2:45 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 2), the Bavarian outfit went and smashed Hamburg, 8-0, on Saturday. It was Bayern’s biggest win in the Bundesliga since 1984, and only serves to emphasize the magnitude of Shakhtar’s task when these sides face off in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Bayern Munich preview, Champions League 2015: Bavarians should cruise
While Shakhtar Donetsk have some talent among their ranks, this is possibly the biggest mismatch in the Round of 16.
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Shakhtar head into this match in Lviv (the outbreak of violence in eastern Ukraine means they can’t play in Donetsk) having endured an understandably disjointed domestic campaign. They finished the first half of their Ukrainian Premier League season five points adrift of league-leading rivals Dynamo Kyiv, with Mircea Lucescu’s team having struggled to achieve its usual domestic dominance. They could well end up being comfortably defeated by Bayern here.
Team news
Shakhtar will certainly be without their holding midfielder Taras Stepanenko, who was booked three times in the group stages and faces a one-match suspension as a result. However, the good news is that they should otherwise have a full complement of players available.
Bayern, in contrast, have had a terribly unfortunate season in midfield, with Philipp Lahm, Javi Martínez and Thiago Alcántara all currently out with long-term problems. The result is that veteran pairing of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Xabi Alonso will likely make up their midfield pivot against Shakhtar (though the extremely talented utility man David Alaba could also play). However, the good news is that right-back Rafinha and winger Franck Ribéry will be involved after returning from thigh and ankle injuries to make their first competitive appearances of the calendar year against Hamburg. Lahm also trained ahead of this match, so he could feature in some capacity, though it might be too soon for him to start.
Projected lineups (left to right)
Shakhtar Donetsk (4-2-3-1): Andriy Pyatov; Vyacheslav Shevchuk, Yaroslav Rakitskiy, Olexandr Kucher, Darijo Srna; Fred, Fernando; Taison, Alex Teixeira, Douglas Costa; Luiz Adriano.
Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Juan Bernat, Dante, Medhi Benatia, Rafinha; Bastian Schweinsteiger, Xabi Alonso; Robert Lewandowski, Mario Götze, Arjen Robben; Thomas Müller.
Key Matchups
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. a lack of match fitness - Incredibly, Shakhtar head into this massive game having not played a competitive match since the Ukrainian Premier League’s winter break commenced in early December. In the meantime, they’ve played a string of friendly matches, though nothing under any real pressure. They’ll be hoping that their lack of competitive match fitness won’t haunt them -- things would be difficult enough with a fully fit team.
Bayern’s attack vs. Shakhtar’s defensive midfielders - Bayern tore Hamburg to shreds by playing a typically fluid 4-2-3-1 on Saturday. While Thomas Müller was the nominal centre-forward, Robert Lewandowski usually drifted inside from the left and joined him in the penalty area, Arjen Robben caused problems cutting in from the right, and Mario Götze orchestrated things a little deeper. Their sheer strength in attacking numbers will cause big problems for Shakhtar’s defensive midfielders, who could well find themselves overwhelmed.
Shakhtar’s wingers vs. Bayern’s full-backs - Shakhtar don’t stand a chance of winning the possession battle against Bayern, which means they’re going to have to try and hit the Bavarians on the break. The good news is that their starting wingers -- Taison and Douglas Costa -- are both very good players who’ve been linked with some of Europe’s top clubs over the years. They’ll be looking to take advantage of any space that Bayern’s marauding full-backs, Juan Bernat and Rafinha, leave in behind.
Prediction
Shakhtar are a talented team, but their domestic struggles; the inconvenient length of their winter break; and, above all else, the strength of Bayern, means they shouldn’t stand a chance. This tie should be over before the second leg. 3-0 Bayern.
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