Shakhtar v Barcelona

Shakhtar v Barcelona



20:45 CET - Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Olympiyskiy Stadium, Donetsk


Barcelona may face a very tricky test when they travel to the Ukraine to meet Shakhtar, but they will see it as a very welcome distraction from the problems back at home.

In winning the local derby at the weekend, the Blaugrana recorded their fourth consecutive win to put any talk of a crisis well and truly behind them after picking up only one point from their first two la Primera encounters.

But it was in the game at Espanyol that the major talking points of the week happened and they have overshadowed the build-up to the Catalan club's second Champions League game of the season.

A handful of people in the away end at Montjuïc carried out a pre-meditated to disrupt the game by throwing flares and accusations have since gone backwards and forwards.

The home club said that they infuriated with the reaction of the Barça players to each of their two goals after the break in play as police and security looked to restore clam within the stadium.

Barça refuted the allegations as well as being forced to distance themselves from the groups that were reported to have been at the centre of the unsavoury incidents.

While Espanyol have withdrawn the idea of complaining officially about five Barça players all the questions in press conferences and interviews have included reference to the game which has seen the game in midweek take second place.