Story so far: FC Shakhtar Donetsk

FC Shakhtar Donetsk secured their place in the round of 16 for the third time in five seasons following a topsy-turvy Group H campaign. Mircea Lucescu's men may have finished second behind FC Porto, but they did so in memorable fashion, starring in a record-breaking group stage.

Story so far
Shakhtar progressed to the knockout rounds with a game to spare following Porto's earlier success at FC BATE Borisov on matchday five. Luiz Adriano became the Pitmen's all-time top scorer on 21 October when he registered five times in a 7-0 success against the Belarusian outfit, equalling Lionel Messi's feat in the UEFA Champions League. The Ukrainian side scored five more against BATE in the reverse fixture, Luiz Adriano grabbing another hat-trick.

However, Shakhtar failed to register victories against their other rivals in the section, dropping points against Porto in the closing stages of both meetings. A goalless stalemate in Bilbao and a 1-0 home loss to Athletic Club ensured hopes of a first-place finish were extinguished before the matchday six fixture against the Dragons.

Pivotal moment
Jackson Martínez came off the bench in Ukraine with Shakhtar leading 2-0 on matchday two and struck twice at the death to salvage a point for Porto. The result was an early blow for the Pitmen's hopes of securing top spot after recording draws in their opening two games. 

Key player: Alex Teixeira
The Brazilian became the leader of a new-look Shakhtar side following the departures of Henrik Mkhitaryan, Fernandinho and Willian. An explosive and pacey midfielder who is equally adept with either foot, Alex Teixeira continues to inspire the Brazilian contingent at the Donetsk-based club with his combination of skill and tireless work ethic. The 24-year-old translates Lucescu's ideas on to the pitch and has produced a number of impressive performances in Europe this season.

Rising star:  Fred
Although not a regular starter, Fred has developed significantly during his 18 months in Ukraine – so much so that he featured in all but one of Shakhar's group matches. A gifted midfielder whose game is based around speed and agility, his future looks to be full of promise.

Number: 120
His exploits against BATE made Luiz Adriano only the fourth player to score more than two UEFA Champions League hat-tricks. The Brazil forward also became Shakhtar's all-time leading scorer, exceeding Andriy Vorobey's record of 114 goals.

Quote
"It is not easy to play all of our games away, but we are professionals and have to adapt to any situation. We were happy to choose Lviv for our UEFA Champions League ties. They have a nice stadium here, a quality pitch and kind people live in this historic city. In other words, Lviv has the perfect atmosphere for hosting Champions League fixtures. Everybody can then see once again that Shakhtar belong to the whole of Ukraine."
Lucescu on Shakhtar setting up base away from Donetsk

Next challenge: FC Bayern München
(Home: 17 February, away: 11 March)
Bayern and Shakhtar have never played a competitive fixture before. Shakhtar have lost in Germany in the last two seasons, going down 4-0 at Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League group stage and succumbing 3-0 at Borussia Dortmund in the preceding campaign's round of 16 second leg, completing a 5-2 loss.