The Moraes injury has inevitably taken a bit of the early attacking flow out of the game. We've not had much action in either box for a little while.

Junior Moraes' decision gets made for him. He was desperate to carry on but his manager isn't convinced he is up to it. Dentinho is on his place.

Real still without the injured Sergio Ramos tonight. They have lost seven of their last nine Champions League games without him.

Oh, almost brilliant from Luka Modric. He turns inside and away from his marker and then chips a ball over the top that is meant to put Benzema in on goal but just skips away from the striker.

Junior Moraes has just made a Lazarus like return. He is driven off the pitch on a stretcher and looks to be done for the night. But after a minute he is back on his feet and ready to go. He does limp back on but he's not letting that challenge from Varane defeat him.

There is a little pause in play as Moraes gets some treatment. He got caught in the thigh by Varane and does not look happy.

Trouble. Raphael Varane was always second favourite to get the ball on halfway and so fouls Junior Moraes. Nacho's pass put him in bother. There's only the keeper behind him but the sheer distance to goal means it is yellow and not red.

A win tonight and Shakhtar would become the fifth club to win both group stage matches against Real Madrid in a single Champions League campaign, after Ajax (1995-96), FC Bayern München (1999-2000, second group stage), Juventus (2008-09) and CSKA Moscow (2018-19).

They almost fall behind, though, with Karim Benzema stinging Anatolii Trubin's palms with a fierce shot from just outside the box.

We've had a promising start. Taison goes for goal from range for the home side but fires his shot over the bar. Some neat stuff getting played in the build-up.

Real have started very much on the front foot and they go so close to opening the scoring as Karim Benzema's low ball into the six-yard box from the left is flicked against the post by Marco Asensio. Should really have scored.

The home side's first charge forward is ended prematurely as Viktor Kovalenko is penalised for handling to control the ball in the Real box.

Rodrygo looks to get Real off to a good start with a driving run and low ball into the box from the right. Taras Stepanenko is there to clear.

After the Champions League anthem echoes around the empty NSK Olimpiyskiy, the home side get us under way. Zidane is sporting a club beanie. No wonder as the temperature has dropped below freezing.

Right, let's get on with the show. The teams are out. We'll have a whole game of Champions League football for you very shortly...

Despite all their problems, Real can actually join the six sides who have already qualified for the last 16 tonight. A win in Ukraine will seal their progress. That will also end Shakhtar's hopes of a spot in the first knock-out round. Since beating Real, the Ukrainian champions have taken only one point from their three fixtures, and sit third in the standings.

If Real needed any further inspiration, they could always look back to 2018 and their victory over Liverpool in that year's Champions League final. That game took place on the very ground they are playing on tonight - the NSK Olimpiyskiy.

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Since losing to Shakhtar, Real have won two and drawn one in the Champions League. They are second in what is a seriously tough group, containing German side Borussia Monchengladbach (who are top) and Italian's Inter Milan (who are bottom) - those two face each other later.

Zinedine Zidane's team have come unstuck a few times in La Liga, though, including suffering a 4-1 loss to Valencia and (only just last weekend) going down 2-1 to Alaves. They haven't actually won any of their last three games, which is practically unheard of. The knives, it would be fair to say, are out.

Shakhtar make five changes from their 1-0 win over Dnipro on Saturday. Junior Moraes and Taison come back into their attack, with Fernando and Manor Solomon dropping to the bench.

Taras Stepanenko and Viktor Kovalenko are the double pivot in midfield, replacing Maycon and Marcos Antonio. In defence, Vitao, who has barely played this season, is in for Marquinhos Cipriano.

Shakhtar Donetsk: Trubin, Dodo, Vitao, Bondar, Matviyenko, Kovalenko, Stepanenko, Tete, Marlos, Taison, Moraes.

Subs: Shevchenko, Marcos Antonio, Dentinho, Solomon, Alan Patrick, Maycon, Marquinhos Cipriano, Pyatov, Bolbat, Sudakov, Fernando.

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Real Madrid are without the injured Eden Hazard and so Martin Odegaard starts in one of three changes from the 2-1 loss to Alaves.

Karim Benzema returns in attack with Mariano dropping to the bench, while Ferland Mendy is in at left-back, replacing Marcelo.

Real Madrid: Courtois, Lucas, Nacho, Varane, Mendy, Modric, Kroos, Rodrygo, Odegaard, Asensio, Benzema.

Subs: Eder Militao, Marcelo, Lunin, Casemiro, Vinicius Junior, Isco, Mariano, Altube, Arribas, Chust.

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Six weeks on from Shakhtar Donetsk's surprise 3-2 win at Real Madrid (achieved without 13 first-team players after 19 positive Covid-19 tests throughout the club left them needing to call up youth-team players), we are in Ukraine for the return game. I'm not sure anyone would be that shocked if we were treated to another win for the lads in orange.

We've got a short run up to this game (we'll get to the Premier League teams in action later), so let's not waste any further time. Here are the teams...

It wasn't meant to go like this last time...

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images