Shakhtar and La Real seek change of fortune

Neither FC Shakhtar Donetsk nor Real Sociedad de Fútbol have much margin for error left in their penultimate UEFA Champions League Group A fixture, with boss Mircea Lucescu urging the home side to make more of their chances as they seek three crucial points. Victory is essential for their Spanish visitors although coach Jagoba Arrasate acknowledges his team have already learned a lot from their campaign.

• Real Sociedad have to take maximum points at the Donbass Arena and hope for a Manchester United FC victory at Bayer 04 Leverkusen to keep alive their slim prospects of a last-16 place. The Ukrainian title holders will remain in contention for the knockout phase unless they lose and Leverkusen-United finishes all-square.

Shakhtar
Mircea Lucescu, coach
Champions League games are always difficult, and it's not easy to pick favourites and underdogs. We started this campaign very well with a win in Spain – I think Real Sociedad were quite surprised by our performance. But they came to their senses, and even though they lost in Leverkusen and Manchester, results don't always show the true standard of a team. I expect a very difficult game, because Real still have a chance to qualify. As for us, except for our game in Leverkusen we have looked good – but making the best use of our scoring chances is our main problem. I want my players to play as well as they did at home to Manchester United and Leverkusen, but this time we need some luck.

Our newcomers are gradually getting used to their new team, and playing better and better. Our displays now remind me of the football we played last season. It's always important to show that we are stronger than our opponents. Whether we get to the knockout stage or not depends on many factors. We need to use our chances better, but the most important thing is to show football of the future. Talent is not always enough to achieve results. At this level, you need experience as well, which many of our young attacking players lack. However, I believe in our team, I believe in my players and I believe that the support of our fans will help us get a result.

Weekend result
Saturday: Shakhtar 4-0 PFC Sevastopol (Taison 8, Chygrynskiy 23, Luiz Adriano 26, Srna 34)
Kanibolotskiy; Srna, Kucher, Chygrynskiy, Ismaily; Stepanenko, Fred (Fernando 46), Douglas Costa (Wellington Nem 62), Alex Teixeira, Taison; Luiz Adriano (Ferreyra 46).

• A comfortable success in Donetsk means Shakhtar are unbeaten in 31 Premier League home games, a run which includes 28 wins. Darijo Srna scored his fifth goal of the season – already the highest tally of his career.

Team news
Lucescu has a fully fit squad at his disposal.

La Real
Jagoba Arrasate, coach
We respect Shakhtar and their players, but we need to win and that means we must play our best regardless of our opponents' strengths. Maybe Shakhtar beat us in the first game because of the advantage of their European experience. However, this autumn we have already come a long way. Tomorrow's game will be our fifth in the Champions League and we will try to use everything we have learned in previous matches this season.

All our players are healthy. But it's one thing to be well-prepared and another thing to show your class. We'll use our best lineup because this game is very important for us.

You can never lose hope and we believe we are capable of continuing our European campaign. We will do our best to win in Donetsk. The task is simple – to win this game, and then we'll see. Of course, if we want to succeed, we will need to show something special. I think my team can surprise our opponents, but we'll need some luck.

Weekend result
Saturday: La Real 4-3 RC Celta de Vigo (Vela 6 61 78 81; Rafinha 23 56, López Sánchez 28)
Bravo; Zaldúa (Ros 80), Mikel González (Agirretxe 66), Iñigo Martínez, De la Bella; Bergara, Zurutuza (Pardo 38), Castro, Xabi Prieto, Griezmann, Vela.

• Carlos Vela scored four goals for the first time in his career as La Real came from behind to secure all three points and move up to sixth in the Spanish Liga.

Team news
Esteban Granero continues his recovery from a serious knee injury while Gorka Elustondo (right thigh) and Carlos Martínez (bruised ankle) did not feature at the weekend. David Zurutuza has travelled to Donetsk despite twisting his left knee against Celta.

Match fact
• Lucescu's first home meeting with Spanish opposition came 40 years ago with FC Dinamo Bucureşti in a 2-0 defeat by Club Atlético de Madrid in the 1973/74 European Champion Clubs' Cup second round. His overall home record against teams from Spain, as player and coach, is W4 D3 L6.