Shakhtar Donetsk v Anderlecht background

FC Shakhtar Donetsk are unbeaten in four home games against Belgian opposition, and their coach Mircea Lucescu has reason to yearn for revenge as his side take on RSC Anderlecht in the UEFA Europa League round of 16.

Previous meetings
• The clubs are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition.

• Shakhtar's overall record against Belgian teams reads W2 D5 L1 (W1 D3 at home – W1 D2 L1 in Belgium), with all eight of those games played against Club Brugge KV. The Pitmen are unbeaten in the most recent seven of those matches (W2 D5) – a run stretching back to a 1-0 loss in 1995.

• Anderlecht's record in six fixtures against Ukrainian sides is W5 D0 L1 (W3 D0 L0 at home – W2 D0 L1 away). That sole defeat was a 4-0 reverse to FC Dynamo Kyiv in their most recent trip to Ukraine, in September 2000.

• Anderlecht beat an FC Dinamo Bucureşti team coached by Shakhtar boss Mircea Lucescu, 1-0 home and away, in the semi-finals of the 1989/90 European Cup Winners' Cup. They lost 2-0 to UC Sampdoria in the final after extra time.

Form guide
• Shakhtar have won just one of their last five European home games at the Arena Lviv (W1 D2 L2); what's more, they have not won in four UEFA Europa League home fixtures (D3 L1) stretching back to October 2009.

• Having brought a halt to a 13-match wait for a victory on the road in Europe (D6 L7) on matchday five, Anderlecht have won their last two UEFA away games – though it took extra time for them to overcome Olympiacos last time out.

• This is the first time Shakhtar have reached the round of 16 since they won the final edition of the UEFA Cup in 2009.

• Anderlecht succumbed 3-1 on aggregate to FC Dinamo Moskva in last season's round of 32. The 1983 UEFA Cup winners last contested this stage of the competition in 2009/10 when they fell to Hamburger SV. They last made the last eight in 1996/97.

Trivia and links
• The journey from Brussels to Lviv, where Shakhtar are playing their European games, is around 1,400km.

• Anderlecht forward Matías Suárez can make his 50th UEFA club competition appearance in the first leg.

• Shakhtar boast the player (Darijo Srna, 130) and the coach (Lucescu, 208) who have featured in the most UEFA club competition matches among the round of 16 contenders.

• Anderlecht defender Anthony Vanden Borre briefly played in Ukraine with SC Tavriya Simferopol in 2012.

• Anderlecht have been caught offside 40 times from the group stage onwards – six more than any other side in this seasons's competition.

The coaches
• Lucescu has occupied the Shakhtar helm since 2004 and has led the Pitmen to eight Ukrainian titles and five national cups as well as the 2009 UEFA Cup. The one-time striker, 70, has coached in Romania and Italy and lifted back-to-back Turkish titles with different clubs in the early 2000s.

• Previously assistant coach, the 44-year-old Besnik Hasi assumed sole command at Anderlecht in March 2014. Capped 47 times by Albania, Hasi moved to Belgium in 1994, the midfielder claiming a title with KRC Genk and another with Anderlecht, where he returned after seeing out his playing days at Cercle Brugge KSV. He guided the Purple-and-Whites to the championship in May 2014.