This will be the second time the teams have faced each other in European competition. The first occasion was back in the 1980/81 season, when Eintracht – UEFA Cup holders at the time – suffered a narrow 1-0 away defeat in front of 40,000 fans (although the Eagles would eventually advance 3-1 on aggregate).
The attendance figure is likely to be significantly lower this time, however, given the current political climate in eastern Ukraine. Shakhtar left their home stadium, the Donbass Arena, in 2014 to play in the Arena Lviv before moving to their present base at the Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv. It is here that the game will take place on Thursday evening.
Euro trip
The journey east means Eintracht fans begin 2019 by visiting another exotic location, having previously racked up the air miles during the club's 2013/14 Europa League campaign. Fortunately, the Frankfurt faithful are fond of travelling and supporting their team in the farthest corners of the continent: during that season they created a home atmosphere for Eintracht wherever they went, from Azerbaijan to Israel, and from Cyprus to Portugal.
Around 6,000 fans accompanied the side to Cyprus once again in 2018, and although the weather in Ukraine is not expected to be as pleasant on Thursday, with temperatures of minus 15 being forecast, no fewer than 2,000 Eagles supporters are nevertheless estimated to make the trip over.
Match info
Kick-off: Thursday 14 February, 21.00 CET, Round of 32
Venue: Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv
