Shakhtar Donetsk remain one of football’s most incredible stories this season.
Despite the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Shakhtar have managed to continue playing in their domestic league and Europe’s premier competition.
The Ukrainian outfit have given a great account of themselves in the Champions League so far, making life difficult for the likes of Porto and Barcelona, while even securing a win against Royal Antwerp.
Back in action against Barcelona at ‘home’ in their next European outing, Marino Pusic’s side will be facing the Catalan giants in Germany on Tuesday.
Having narrowly fallen to defeat against Barcelona last time out in the Champions League, Shakhtar would normally have the advantage of a home encounter in a bid to better their result in Catalonia.
However, the Ukrainian side will host Barca in Germany at the Volksparkstadion on Tuesday evening – the arena of 2. Bundesliga side Hamburger SV in Hamburg.
Shakhtar already faced Porto there earlier in the season, a game they lost 3-1, and will continue to play at the Volksparkstadion for the rest of their European campaign.
Shakhtar are currently playing their European football in Germany due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Unsurprisingly, the club are unable to play European games on home soil as a result.
Having played at Legia Warsaw’s Stadion Wojska Polskiego last season in Europe, Shakhtar were given alternative options this season for where they wanted to play. The Ukrainian side chose Hamburg, 2,240km away from Donetsk.
Shakhtar have actually not played in their home stadium, Donbas Arena, since 2014 as a result of conflict in Ukraine that followed the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion, instead playing their games in Lviv and Kharkiv.
Since 2020, Shakhtar had been playing at the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex in Kyiv. However, they have been playing domestic football in a range of venues this season due to the war.
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