UEFA Champions League: 5 Reasons Barcelona Should Fear Shakhtar Donetsk

Compared to European heavyweights like Manchester United, Real Madrid or Inter Milan, Barcelona may appear to have lucked out in drawing little-known Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League quarterfinals.

But after studying the team from the Ukraine, it’s clear that this is far from an easy draw for the Spanish champions.

In no particular order, here are five reasons Barcelona should fear Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Confidence of Champions

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ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 20: Darijo Srna of Shakhtar Donetsk holds the UEFA Cup Trophy following his team's victory after extra time at the end of the UEFA Cup Final between Shakhtar Donetsk and Werder Bremen at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on May 20, 2009

Shakhtar are having their greatest season ever: 12 points clear of second-place Dynamo Kiev, a frightening league record of 20-1-2, and 46 goals for and nine goals against (in 23 matches).  

Defending champions of the Ukrainian Premier League and having won five times since 2001, they are steamrolling their way to another title.

Shakhtar won the UEFA Cup in 2009 and very nearly beat Barcelona in the following UEFA Supercup.

Besides a drubbing by Arsenal, they haven’t looked a bit nervous on the grand stage of this year's Champions League.

Despite being relatively unknown to the average soccer fan, this is not some wide-eyed club that has somehow stumbled into the quarterfinals.  This is a club with a billionaire owner, a superstar lineup and plenty of swagger.

The Counterattack

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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)

Barcelona have demonstrated on numerous occasions that they’re vulnerable on the counter attack.  Their style of possession football brings center backs up to midfield and beyond and leaves oodles of space in their own half.

A good counter attack needs good field vision, a pair of well-weighted passes and a burst of speed. Shakhtar has the players to pull this off. They have midfielders with the vision and skill to deliver dangerous deep balls up the wings and attackers with the pace to catch up and the confidence to finish with ease.

Barcelona will be without Eric Abidal—their fastest central defender and man most adept at cutting off deep balls—and Carles Puyol, their most experienced defender and team captain.

The Brazilian Strikeforce

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PARMA, ITALY - AUGUST 10: Douglas Costa 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)

Shakhtar’s owner, Rinat Akhmetov, has spared no expense in building a powerhouse squad.  Hefty transfer fees have brought together a dynamic young Brazilian strikeforce—most notably Willian, Luiz Adriano, Jadson and Douglas Costa.

For good reason, both Willian and Costa are linked with big-money moves to Chelsea and Manchester United, respectively.  Both possess characteristic Brazilian flair, blistering pace and a tendency to crank off shots from distance.  Willian scored twice against Roma in Shakhtar’s 3-0 clincher, and Costa has shown himself capable of some electrifying plays on the wing.

Jadson is a technically gifted midfielder who has come up big in European competition—netting nine goals, including the cup winner, in Shakhtar’s 2009 UEFA campaign.  Luiz Adriano up top is a poaching striker with an excellent finishing touch.

Barcelona is accustomed to having the dynamite players on their side.  When was the last time they faced a team with this many men capable of turning a match upside down?  

The Eastern European Defense

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DONETSK, UKRAINE - MAY 07: Dmytro Chygrynskiy (R) of FC Shakhtar Donetsk battles for the ball with Artem Milevskiy of FC Dynamo Kiev during the UEFA Cup semi-finals second leg match between FC Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Dynamo Kiev at the RSC Olympiyskiy Sta

The perfect complement to the Jogo Bonito of Shakhtar’s attack is their sturdy defense anchored by Ukraine internationals Dmytro Chyghrynskiy and Yaroslav Rakytskiy and led by team captain Darijo Srna.

Srna is incredibly strong at right back and, like Dani Alves, loves to come forward in attack.  He has great pace, can finish with either foot and is a free-kick wizard.

Chygrynskiy may miss the match in Camp Nou (where he played for Barcelona last season), but will likely return for the decisive clash in Ukraine.  While he didn’t have the speed to excel in the Barcelona system, he is a fearsome defensive presence—tall and strong, with excellent timing and a penchant for jump-starting Shakhtar’s attack with pinpoint outlet passes.

Should Barcelona find themselves in need of an away goal, Shakhtar will give these men all the support they need in the back and make life very difficult for the Blaugrana.

Donbass Arena

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DONETSK, UKRAINE - NOVEMBER 03: General view of the Donbass Arena home of Shakhtar Donetsk on November 3, 2010 in Donetsk, Ukraine. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Accustomed to deciding eliminations on their own turf, Barcelona will travel for the second leg of this tie, and that’s very good news for their opponents.

The $400 million Donbass Arena is the crown jewel of Dontesk.  Since it opened in 2009, Shakhtar has not lost here.  On April 12th, Barcelona will take the long flight East to face a frightening combination of 55,000 crazed fans, 11 confident players and a very cold pitch.

The fact that the stadium is new doesn’t matter—Shakhtar’s undefeated record there and what the stadium represents does.  After years of world football invisibility, Donetsk now fields a world-class team in a glistening new stadium.  

This place symbolizes the city’s pride in a team enjoying a meteoric rise to prominence, and a decisive match against top dogs Barcelona in Champions League will be its finest moment.