Metalist firepower poses threat to Hertha

FC Metalist Kharkhiv have much less experience of European football than their Matchday 2 visitors Hertha BSC Berlin, but their German guests would do well to keep a close eye on the Ukrainian side's in-form forwards.

• This is Metalist and Hertha's first meeting in UEFA club competition.

• Metalist have never played against a German side before while Hertha have never come up against Ukrainian opponents either.

• Over the years there have been 45 games between Ukrainian and German sides in UEFA club competition, with the former Soviet republic having the upper hand with 20 wins to the German sides' 17 and eight games drawn.

• Metalist are playing in only their third UEFA club competition campaign having upset the odds by knocking out Turkish side Beşiktaş JK in the UEFA Cup first round. They have finished third in the Ukrainian Premier League behind FC Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Dynamo Kyiv for the last two seasons. This is will be Hertha's 60th match in the UEFA Cup.

• Hertha should play close attention to Metalist's highly-rated first-choice strike partnership of Brazilian Jajá and Serbian-born Marko Dević.

• Dević was the Ukrainian Premier League's top scorer last season with 19 league goals while Jajá is the bright star of the current campaign, and is already into double figures in all competitions.

• The Brazilian has thrived under coach Myron Markevich this season, saying: "Our coach is a supporter of a fast team game. I like to know what coaches expect and how the other players behave on the pitch. They expect me to score and I am always happy to do that."

• Jajá says training against the Metalist defence has helped him hone his skills, saying: "Milan Obradović and Papa Gueye are the strongest defenders in Ukraine." He added: "It makes no difference to me whether I score from close range, with a long shot, with the heel or with my head, though many people think my left foot is my most dangerous attribute."

• Dević is within a booking of a one-match ban.

• This is Metalist's first UEFA Cup group stage game. Substitute Marko Pantelić scored Hertha's goal as they came from behind to draw 1-1 at home against SL Benfica in their Group B opener.

• Benfica are at home against Galatasaray AŞ in Matchday 2's other Group B game. Olympiacos CFP are the only team in the section not in action on Thursday.