Shakhtar Donetsk 5 - 0 FC Basel

Shakhtar Donetsk v FC Basel: Preview

Updated: November 25, 2008, 7:57 PM UK

Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu knows his side will have to come through a stern physical test if they are to beat FC Basle and secure third position in Champions League Group C.

In terms of Europe's premier competition, the match is a dead rubber as Sporting Lisbon and Barcelona, who line up against each other in Lisbon, have already sewn up the top two places in the group.

Wednesday's match could, however, decide which of the two teams will finish third in the group and achieve back-door qualification to the UEFA Cup.

Shakhtar are two points ahead of their Swiss opponents so a win for Lucescu's side would guarantee them third spot, but the Romanian is well aware of the aerial threat that the Swiss champions pose.

"Basle are a powerful side, they have physical presence. Eight of their players are taller than 6ft 1in,'' Lucescu told the club's official website, www.shakhtar.com.

"And the players are able to maintain the same tempo throughout the match. Basle have achieved considerable results and they are the leaders of the domestic championship.

"We must try to avoid committing fouls so as not to bring their tall players close to our goal. We shall be playing fast, trying to keep the ball close to the ground. They will certainly have problems dealing with such tactics.''

Shakhtar's opening fixture of the Champions League saw them overcome Basle 2-1 in Switzerland thanks to goals from Brazilian duo Fernandinho and Jadson.

The Ukrainian champions have not picked up a point in the competition since but their Romanian coach believes their current form, which has seen them go 10 matches unbeaten, will see them through Wednesday's clash.

"We were prepared for the first leg match. The score could have been much bigger,'' Lucescu said.

"Unfortunately, we failed to pick up points from the next matches, although we deserved better results.

"We have finally begun to show our play in the domestic championship. So, the players are in a good mood. I hope they shall prove to everyone that they deserve on a victory.''

Lucescu will be able to call on Darijo Srna and Fernandinho, who missed last weekend's 2-0 win over FC Lviv, but will be without Brandao through injury, while defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy is also a doubt.

The Shakhtar coach has singled out Switzerland striker Eren Derdiyok as the main Basle threat ahead of the encounter.

A series of eye-catching performances have led Derdiyok to be linked with a move to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen but Basle boss Christian Gross will be keen on keeping the 20-year-old at St Jakob-Park after seeing him bag a hat-trick in Basle's 4-0 Swisscom Cup win over FC Thun last weekend.

Gross is likely to partner Derdiyok with either Orhan Mustafi or Eduardo up front while Jurgen Gjasula is also pushing for a recall after scoring in last weekend's win.