Five Key Battles: Shakhtar Donetsk vs Borussia Dortmund

In the industrial heartland of the Ukraine, the Donbass Arena will play host to an archetypal east versus west clash in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match between Ukrainian league leaders Shakhtar Donestsk and last season’s German football domestic double winners Borussia Dortmund. In a game that promises to provide flair and panache, action and suspense and more importantly, goals, here are five key clashes, which could dictate which way this first leg match goes.

1.) Dmytro Chygrynskiy vs Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski proved a handful against Real Madrid and Manchester City in the group stages.

Although Dortmund are far from the Bundesliga summit this season, they have taken the endeavour they showed last season into the Champions League, with impressive home wins against both Real Madrid and Manchester City in the group stages.

One of the ingredients key to their successful navigation of the Group of Death was the firepower of their Polish international striker Robert Lewandowski. With eighteen goals in all competitions (four of them in Europe), the 24-year-old has been in excellent goal-scoring form this season, building on the red-hot form he showed last year when Dortmund won the domestic double.

The man who will be tasked with the responsibility of shacking the deadly Pole will be former Barcelona defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy. The 6ft 3in centre-back is part of a defence that has conceded only nine goals in the Ukrainian Premier League. Blessed with both an aerial presence and the technical skills to stymie attacks on the ground, Chygrynskiy will be the focal point of Shakhtar’s defence.

2.) Sebastian Kehl vs Alex Teixeira

With the yellow-blacks sweating on the fitness of Ilkay Gundogan, it is quite likely that club captain Sebastian Kehl will be selected over the young Moritz Leitner in midfield. The 2006 World Cup bronze medallist will have his hands full trying to gain dominance over a talented Ukrainian midfield teeming with imports from Brazil.

The man he will have to snuff out will surely be Alex Teixeira. With Willian moving for a sizeable fee to Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala in January, the role of creator in chief will surely fall to his fellow Brazilian. With eleven goals in just 25 appearances for the Donbass side, Teixeira will be expected to pull the strings in midfield and drive his side towards taking an advantage to Germany for the second leg of the tie.

3.) Marcel Schmelzer vs Darijo Srna

Marcel Schmelzer will have to keep Darijo Srna quiet if Dortmund stand any change of of progress.

One of the most experienced players in the Shakhtar side, Croatia wide-man Srna is a cert to start the game given the seriousness of the occasion and the versatility the side’s captain possesses.

A guarantee to be started either at right-back or further up that side of the pitch, Srna is an excellent free-kick specialist and possesses very good crossing abilities. Equally comfortable as a member of the back four or in midfield, Srna’s skills mean the Shakhtar right wing is bound to be dangerous.

Irrespective of whether he plays on the wings or at the back, he will undoubtedly come forward to aid his side’s attack. That there is no end product from him will be the job of Marcel Schmelzer. Having missed his country’s friendly against France last week, Schmelzer is now back in the side and has been pencilled in for a start in Donetsk. A solid, fair defender, Schmelzer will have to prevent his Croatian counterpart from inflicting damage to his side.

4.) Nuri Sahin vs Fernandinho

Sahin may only be spending six months with Dortmund for the present, but he will expected to rewind to two years ago when he was bossing Juergen Klopp’s midfield as Dortmund won back-to-back Bundesliga titles.

His job will be to close down another man who has won back-to-back titles. Fernandinho has been an extremely crucial member of the Donetsk side that won their third consecutive league title last year and seems well on his way to guide the Ukrainian league leaders to consecutive title number four.

With a terrific long-range shot and the ability to pick out a team mate from distance, the Brazilian midfielder’s clever dribbling and constant presence in and around the box, which has seen him score an an average of a goal every five games means he will need to be constantly tracked throughout the match.

5.) Neven Subotic vs Luiz Adriano

Donestsk’s hopes of qualification rest on the shoulders of Luiz Adriano

Another of Shakhtar’s Brazilian contingent, target man Luiz Adriano has scored 10 goals in 17 appearances or more than a goal every two games.

Having missed his side’s last group game because of unsporting behaviour against Danish side Nordsjaelland in what turned out to be a 5-2 win for his team when he pounced on a drop ball played to the Danish outfit’s keeper because of an injury to one of the Scandinavian team’s players and scoring Shakhtar’s equaliser.

Banned from his side’s last group game against Italian giants Juventus for unsporting conducts despite his protests that he did not do anything wrong because he did not know he was contesting the drop ball, Adriano will be looking to silence those cynics and critics who railed on him for his actions in Denmark.

But he will be up against one of the best defenders in Germany. 6ft 4in centre-back Neven Subotic is a fantastic all-round defender and has honed his skills against the likes of Mario Gomez, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Stefan Kie?ling and Andre Schurrle. The Serbia skipper will be a tough proposition for Adriano to get past and whoever comes out on top in this clash might just go on to decide the way the game goes.