The Ukrainian champions' captain and several of Pep Guardiola's key players spoke their minds after the two clubs were drawn together on Monday.
Darijo Srna had said that he wanted to face Monaco in the last sixteen, in an ideal world, but thought this was a chance to show what his side arre made of, "No! Why would I be suddenly upset?! In fact, it is good that we were drawn against a top European football club. Such games are a great opportunity to prove our level against a respected decorated club."
When asked about Shakhtar's chance to progress, he admitted it would be a tough task, "Of course, the draw could have been better. Yes, the team are eminent and strong. Well, so what? There’s no point in being afraid of Bayern. We respect this club, its players. But we also deserve to be in the quarter-finals." Though he did say that anything can happen, "The ball is round, the field is flat. We have 180 minutes to show our football and achieve a positive result. Theoretically, the Germans are favourites, but this does not mean anything. I'm sure every player of Shakhtar will make every effort to win in this match-up."
World Cup winner Philipp Lahm was wary of their opponents, although he won't accept anything less than a quarter-final berth, "Donetsk are certainly dangerous opponents, but despite that, we have to make the next round. Bayern's minimum target is always the quarter-finals."
Arjen Robben, meanwhile, was pleased to avoid Arsenal, "I think it's good we have something different and not Arsenal again..." he said, but was giving respect to Shakhtar also, "We'll have to look out, they have a few really good Brazilians. We'll analyse our opponents closely and concentrate hard. If we do it should work out."
Franck Ribéry shares a similar view to his team-mates, yet he remains confident in the Bavarians' ability, "It could certainly have been worse, but let's be cautious. Donetsk are strong," he added. "However, provided we concentrate and dig deep I'm confident."
The first leg will take place in Ukraine on February 17, with the return match at the Allianz Arena on March 11.
Quotes via GOAL.com and shakhtar.com/en