Shakhtar

UEFA Champions League statistics
• Shakhtar have gone four UEFA Champions League games without a win at the Donbass Arena, losing two and drawing two since their 3-0 round of 16 triumph over AS Roma on 8 March 2011.

• Shakhtar have scored 245 goals in UEFA competition.

International duty
• Nine Shakhtar players were on senior duty during the international break: Andriy Pyatov, Yaroslav Rakitskiy, Vyacheslav Shevchuk, Marko Dević (Ukraine), Tomáš Hübschman (Czech Republic), Darijo Srna, Eduardo (Croatia), Henrik Mkhitaryan (Armenia) and Răzvan Raţ (Romania).

• Hübschman won his 50th cap in the Czech Republic's 1-0 friendly defeat by Finland last Tuesday.

• Serhiy Kryvtsov captained the Ukraine side that lost 2-1 to Sweden on 10 September as they missed out on a place in the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-offs.

Summer transfers
• In
Anton Kanibolotskiy (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)
Marko Dević (FC Metalist Kharkiv)

• Out
Artem Fedetskiy (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)
Yevhen Seleznyov (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)
Olexandr Chyzhov (FC Illychivets Mariupil, loan)
Olexandr Rybka (released)
Yuriy Virt (retired)

Miscellaneous
• Shakhtar beat FC Zorya Luhansk 3-0 on Saturday, their 19th successive top-flight victory – a Ukrainian Premier League record.

• During the international break Mircea Lucescu took the squad to his native Romania for two friendlies, a 3-0 victory over FC Petrolul Ploieşti on 7 September and a 1-1 draw with FC Rapid Bucureşti 48 hours later.

• Mkhitaryan has already scored more league goals this season than in any of his previous three campaigns in Ukraine, matching his 2011/12 mark of ten inside six games. He now has 12 in nine league outings this term.

• Luiz Adriano and Douglas Costa were on target as 2011/12 double winners Shakhtar defeated city rivals FC Metalurh Donetsk 2-0 in the Ukrainian Super Cup on 10 July.

• Shakhtar signed 24-year-old striker Maicon Oliveira, last season's 14-goal joint highest Premier League scorer, from FC Volyn Lutsk and loaned him to Zorya.

Nordsjælland

UEFA Champions League statistics
• This is Nordsjælland's first game in the European Cup.

• Nordsjælland are one of three clubs making their debut in the group stage this season, along with Montpellier Hérault SC and Málaga CF.

• None of the Nordsjælland squad have played in the UEFA Champions League before.

International duty
• Two Nordsjælland players were on senior international duty last week: Nikolaj Stokholm and Michael Parkhurst.

• Stokholm was an unused substitute for Denmark's 0-0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying draw with the Czech Republic while Parkhurst was in the United States team beaten 2-1 in Jamaica on 7 September. Parkhurst was on the bench four days later as the US avenged that defeat with a 1-0 victory.

• Mark Gundelach, Andreas Laudrup, Anders Christiansen (Denmark) and Mario Tičinović (Croatia) were all in U21 action. Laudrup scored in the 3-0 win against Northern Ireland on 10 September that sealed a UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-off spot.

Summer transfers
• In
Morten Nordstrand (FC København)
Thomas Villadsen (FC Ceahlăul Piatra Neamţ)
Anders Christiansen (Lyngby BK)
Joshua John (FC Twente, loan)
Kamal Issah (Stade Rennais FC)

• Out
Andreas Granskov (R. Mouscron-Péruwelz)
Andreas Bjelland (FC Twente)
Rune Pedersen (Akademisk Boldklub)
Tobias Mikkelsen (SpVgg Greuther Fürth)
Nichlas Rohde (Breidablik)
Jacob Egeris (Viborg FF)

Miscellaneous
• Nordsjælland are ten home games unbeaten, since a 2-1 reverse by Brøndby IF on 18 March.

• At this stage last season, Kasper Hjulmand's team were nine points adrift of København.