UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal Preview: Barcelona Vs. Shakhtar Donetsk

Well, the Champions League draw seems to have favoured Barcelona and not the English clubs, which conspiracy theorists will say doesn’t surprise them.

Having said that, Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk is a pretty handy draw for the Catalans. One of the best sides left in the tournament, Barcelona, has been handed one of the easiest teams left in the tournament, on paper that is.

They play an attack minded Ukrainian side full of confidence and not lacking in talent. They beat a much fancied Arsenal to top their group and then dumped Roma out of the competition in the last 16, winning both home and away comprehensively.  

Many pundits are calling this as a stern test for Barcelona with the winners meeting Jose Mourinho or a Gareth Bale led Tottenham side. 

The Strategies

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

BARCELONA, SPAIN - MARCH 07: Goalkeeper Victor Valdes of Barcelona carries a piece of training equipment during a training session ahead of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match against Arsenal at the Camp Nou stadium on March 7, 2011

Barcelona can almost be forgiven for playing one track football, and that is to attack. Come April 5th, expect nothing else. Barcelona's tactics would be to open up the defense, try to pick up the one-two's inside the final third and to dominate possession.

Barcelona would try to get a good result out of this game, possibly a 2-0 or 3-0 win to make sure they're not off to Donetsk needing to get a good result.  

Shakhtar, on the other hand, will try to attack on the counter and try to expose Barcelona's weakened defense, considering the fact that Carlos Puyol is still injured and might actually not feature at all the rest of this season (according to some reports coming from Spain).

Their attack is strong, and they do not shy away from shooting at the goal. Their finishing is clinical as we saw against Arsenal and they're probably going to do a lot better than Arsenal did against Barcelona at Camp Nou.  

The Manager's Corner

Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

BARCELONA, SPAIN - MARCH 19: Barcelona fans display a banner in support of Eric Abidal before the La Liga match between Barcelona and Getafe at Camp Nou on March 19, 2011 in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona won 2-1. (Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty

Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola has revealed that he rates Shakhtar Donetsk very highly after being drawn to face the Ukrainians in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Guardiola is not taking anything for granted, despite Barcelona being red-hot favourites to come through the duel. Indeed, the Catalan coach believes Shakhtar will represent a tough challenge.

"Shakhtar are a champion of the Europa League, we know what it cost to beat them in the Super Cup [Barcelona won 1-0 in 2009 ed.], and they have won against Arsenal," said Guardiola.

"It’s a team that has had success in the Champions League and made the most points [in their group]. They have Brazilians and four are very good."

It would seem Guardiola is determined not to underestimate the Ukrainian giants, believing they pose just as much of a threat as Arsenal did in the previous round.

Shakhtar Donetsk general manager Palkin believes his side can mount a fight having eliminated Roma in the last round.

"If we can't beat them then who can? The Catalans have more chances of winning the tournament compared to other teams, fortune has smiled on us."

"But, anything can happen. And so we cannot abandon the pitch without even playing them first. We have to look at the two games with optimism."

How Have the Teams Fared in the Champions League?

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

BARCELONA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 09: Luiz Adriano (L) of Shakhtar Donetsk duels for the ball with Sylvio Mendes of Barcelona during the UEFA Champions League Group C match between Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk at the Camp Nou stadium on December 9, 2008 in B

Both teams have netted 18 goals in the tournament so far, so you could not have asked for a more competitive quarterfinal. 

Barcelona topped their Group D, a relatively easy group compared to that of Shakhtar with the likes of Rubin Kazan, Panathinaikos and FC Copenhagen, while Shakhtar had a much fancied Arsenal side alongside AC Braga and FK Partizan. Shakhtar's only defeat in the tournament came through the hands of Arsenal at the Emirates, where Barcelona lost as well.

Barcelona's last five outings (All competitions)

Mar 19, 2011	Barcelona 2 - Getafe 1       La Liga
Mar 13, 2011	Sevilla 1 - Barcelona 1       La Liga
Mar 8, 2011	Barcelona 3 - Arsenal 1      UCL
Mar 5, 2011	Barcelona 1 - Zaragoza 0    La Liga
Mar 2, 2011	Valencia 0 - Barcelona 1    La Liga

Shakhtar Donetsk's last five outings (All competitions)

Mar 8, 2011	Shakhtar 3 - Roma 0	UCL
Feb 16, 2011	Roma 2 - Shakhtar 3	UCL
Dec 8, 2010	Shakhtar 2 - Braga 0	UCL
Nov 23, 2010	Partizan 0 - Shakhtar 3	UCL
Nov 3, 2010	Shakhtar 2 - Arsenal 1	UCL

Previous Encounters Between the Two

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

MONACO - AUGUST 28: Lionel Messi of Barcelona battles with Dmytro Chygrynskiy of Shakhtar Donetsk during the UEFA Super Cup Final between FC Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk at The Stade Louis II Stadium on August 28, 2009 in Monaco, Monaco. (Photo by Lau

The teams have met three times, and the results have been too tight, so that already provides a number quite close—and yes, the Ukrainians have beaten Barcelona at Camp Nou!—so things will not be any easier for the Catalan team.

In the UEFA Super Cup Final, Barcelona beat Shakhtar 1-0 with a Pedro Rodríguez goal deep in extra time in Monaco. The previous season they also played in the UEFA Champions League group stages, both games finishing as away wins—Guardiola’s side triumphing 2-1 in Ukraine with Lionel Messi’s added-time winner but losing 3-2 at home.

Unlike three-time champions Barcelona, who would face Real Madrid CF in the semifinals if both win their ties, Shakhtar are in the last eight for the first time. Lucescu, though, would rather have drawn someone else.

"Of course, it will be very difficult to face Barcelona, they are undoubted favourites in this tie. We are perfectly aware of how Barça like to play, though we are not a secret to them as well. For a club from eastern Europe, being among the last eight in the Champions League is a fantastic achievement. But we are not going to finish here and will do our best to go further.”

Who to Watch out For?

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

PARMA, ITALY - AUGUST 10: Willian of Shakhtar Donetsk in action during preseason frienldy match between Parma FC and Shakhtar Donetsk at Ennio Tardini Stadium on August 10, 2010 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Who can do it for the Ukrainian outfit?

Shakhtar have a host of starlets at their disposal and experience at the back in their established captain Darijo Srna and fullback Razvan Rat. They have an abundance of Brazilian youth going forward with Douglas Costa, Fernandinho, Willian, Luiz Adriano and Alex Texeira.

Then there is Eduardo da Silva, Tomas Hubschman, Razvan, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Andriy Pyatov. And add to that the tall lanky defender Barcelona had in their ranks for a season; Chygrynskiy.

Barcelona's attack of course has the usual suspects: Messi, Villa, Pedro, Xavi, Iniesta and Dani Alves. Barcelona will play their ever predictable game, keep the ball and attack. 

Is Shakhtar capable of causing an upset? I certainly think they are!