Former Shakhtar footballer Oleg Matveyev shared his expectations for the Pitmen's match against Barcelona in a commentary for the UPL TV telegram channel.
"I think it will be very difficult for Shakhtar. Especially in Spain. Xavi's team has great ball control. They have more skill than ours. Barcelona have a lot of injured players, but in principle, they have such talent that if someone is released from the double, no one will spoil anything.
But even if Shakhtar lose, no one will say anything bad to them - it's important to show their best qualities and character, to have the right attitude. All of our guys, although most of them are young, already have experience of playing against top opponents, so their knees shouldn't be shaking.
I don't think Shakhtar should try to pretend to be Barcelona against Barcelona, try to control and so on. It's important to counterattack sharply - if you don't, it will be sad. It is important to show your character in every area of the pitch," Matveyev said.