Shakhtar keen to pick off Plzeň

FC Shakhtar Donetsk will look to end FC Viktoria Plzeň's UEFA Europa League quest at the first hurdle as the Ukrainian and Czech champions come together again.

Previous meetings
• The sides met for the first time in the first leg, Stanizlav Tecl (62) edging Plzeň in front in their first encounter with Ukrainian opponents in UEFA competition, only for Luiz Adriano (65) to strike back within four minutes.

• Shakhtar's five games against Czech sides have ended W2 D1 L2 (W1 D0 L1 at home).

• Ukrainian teams have generally had the better of the 19 meetings between clubs from the two nations, with the record W9 D5 L5 (W7 D0 L2 at home).

Match background
• Shakhtar last featured in the UEFA Europa League as holders in the 2009/10 season, eventually losing to Fulham FC in the round of 32.

• A 4-0 win against Real Sociedad de Fútbol in Shakhtar's final UEFA Champions League group stage home game this season ended a four-game wait for a continental home victory (D3 L1).

• Plzeň are in the round of 32 for the third time; they lost on their maiden appearance in 2011/12 before winning 5-0 on aggregate against SSC Napoli last season, going on to a round of 16 defeat by Fenerbahçe SK.

• Plzeň won all three of their away games in UEFA Champions League qualifying this season, but lost their three group matches on their travels. However, they are unbeaten in their last four away games in the UEFA Europa League (W2 D2) since a 2-1 loss at Club Atlético de Madrid in last season's group stage.

Team facts
• Shakhtar boast Czech talent in the form of defender Tomáš Hübschmann, who featured for FC Zlín, FK Jablonec 97 and AC Sparta Praha before joining the Pitmen in 2004.

• Ukraine and Italy are the most represented nations in the round of 32 with four teams each.

• Shakhtar (2009) are one of nine former UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League winners in the round of 32, along with Tottenham Hotspur FC (1972, 1984), Sevilla FC (2006, 2007), Eintracht Frankfurt (1980), Valencia CF (2004), SSC Napoli (1989), AFC Ajax (1992), FC Porto (2003, 2011) and final hosts Juventus (1977, 1990, 1993).

• Shakhtar and Plzeň are among nine domestic champions in the round of 32, along with Ajax (Netherlands), FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland), Juventus (Italy), PFC Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgaria), Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (Israel), NK Maribor (Slovenia) and Porto (Portugal).

Coach information
• Mircea Lucescu has been in charge at Shakhtar since May 2004. Capped 70 times by Romania, he won seven titles as a winger at FC Dinamo Bucureşti. As a coach, he led Romania, then won domestic titles with Dinamo and FC Rapid Bucureşti in his home country and Galatasaray AŞ and Beşiktaş JK in Turkey, while his Shakhtar haul now includes seven league championships, five Ukrainian Cups and the 2008/09 UEFA Cup.

• Lucescu is the most experienced coach in the competition with 187 UEFA club competition games; his nearest rival, SSC Napoli's Rafael Benítez, has 146.

• Lucescu is one of five coaches in the round of 32 to have led a side to victory in this competition before. FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk's Juande Ramos (Sevilla FC, 2006 & 2007), PAOK FC's Huub Stevens, who won it as a player (PSV Eindhoven, 1978) and a coach (FC Schalke 04, 1997), AZ Alkmaar boss Dick Advocaat (FC Zenit, 2008) and Napoli's Benítez (Valencia CF, 2004 & Chelsea FC, 2013) are the others.

• Pavel Vrba stepped down as Plzeň coach at the end of 2013 to take charge of the Czech national team.

• Dušan Uhrin Jr now leads Plzeň. The 46-year-old son of celebrated Czech coach Dušan Uhrin, he had his playing career ruined by injury but thrived as a coach at Bohemians 1905 and FK Mladá Boleslav before heading abroad to lead FC Timişoara and AEL Limassol FC, then winning a domestic double in Georgia with FC Dinamo Tbilisi in 2012/13.

Shoot-out record
• Shakhtar lost their only previous UEFA penalty shoot-out 4-1 at Club Brugge KV in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round.

• Plzeň have yet to be involved in a UEFA shoot-out.

Round of 16
• The winners in this tie will face FC Chornomorets Odesa or Olympique Lyonnais in the round of 16, playing the second leg at home.

• Shakhtar have never played Chornomorets in Europe, but know them well from the Ukrainian league. They have yet to encounter Lyon.

• Plzeň have yet to come up against either of their potential opponents.