Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of tonight's Champions League last 16 first-leg clash between Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Dortmund, kick-off at 7.45pm UK time!

"@mcdala: Trust this match will be fairly competed and the better side will carry the day".

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William Hill has the odds shortening on Dortmund and the draw today, and lengthening on Shakhtar, who are at 13/8, with Dortmund 7/4, and the draw 11/5. I can see it being a high-scoring match, as both sides love to attack. I can't see Dortmund winning though as Shakhtar are very, very tough to beat away. What do you reckon? Tweet away on @Reda_Eurosport.

FACTS: Borussia Dortmund have won their two previous meetings with Shakhtar. It was in the Champions League play-offs back in August 2001. BVB won 2-0 in Ukraine and 3-1 in Germany. No Ukrainian team has ever beaten Borussia Dortmund in European competition (including qualifiers) (five losses, one draw). Borussia Dortmund are one of four teams unbeaten in the Champions League this season with Juventus, Malaga and Schalke.

FACTS: Shakhtar Donetsk have only won 2 of their last 7 Champions League games at home (three defeats, two draws). This is only the second time Shakhtar have reached the knockout stages of the Champions League after 2010/11 when they were eventually knocked out in the quarter-finals. Shakhtar are unbeaten in their last 4 encounters with German clubs in European competition (three wins, one draw).

Juergen Klopp: "(Shakhtar) have unbelievable quality in their squad, their starting XI is brilliant and so is their bench. They just got Taison 20 million euros cheaper than the other one (Willian), it's unbelievable. They have an impressive midfield with Fernandinho. It will be a massive challenge for us."

Mircea Lucescu: “Judging by the games we have played at the training camps, I can say that we are ready. But the real test is waiting for us tomorrow. We have beaten German sides many times: Stuttgart, Shalke 04, Werder Bremen. So we have experience of performance against German teams."

Left-back Marcel Schmelzer has been passed fit for Dortmund but midfielders Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin Grosskreutz are out with injury and illness respectively. Neven Subotic is fully fit after overcoming a calf problem, but he is only a sub, as is Nuri Sahin, who re-signed for the club from Liverpool in January after failed spells at Anfield and Real Madrid.

Shakhtar are on their winter break, with the next season starting in March. As a result there are few injury problems, although Chygrynskiy replaces the suspended Kucher. Alex Texeira starts following the sale of Willian to Anzhi, while fellow new signing Taison starts up front.

We're hearing from our friends out East that three people have died in that plane crash in Donetsk. Apparently the plane was carrying 36 passengers, and nine crew, and was taking people from Odessa to see the match. More detail as it comes...

TEAMS - Shakhtar: Pyatov, Rat, Chygrynskiy, Rakitskiy, Hubschman, Fernandinho, Alex Teixeira, Srna, Luiz Adriano, Mkhitaryan, Taison; Subs: Kanibolotskiy, Shevchuk, Ishchenko, Stepanenko, Douglas Costa, Eudardo, Devic /// Dortmund: Weidenfeller, Piszczek, Santana, Hummels, Schmelzer, Kehl, Bender, Blaszczykowski, Goetze, Reus, Lewandowski; Subs: Langerak, Subotic, Halstenberg, Leitner, Sahin, Bittencourt, Schieber

A plane has crashed while approaching Donetsk ahead of this evening's game. We do not know if the approaching aircraft had anything to do with tonight's match but it was a couple of hours ago, with two of the 45 on board reported dead. More as it happens.