Shakhtar prepare for home match 700 kilometres from home

But the spectre of war has cast a shadow over the match with the fans now expected to travel over 700 kilometres (435 miles) to watch their own team 'at home'.

Victory over the visiting French side will see Shakhtar, the Ukrainian champions, book their place alongside Group F winners Manchester City in the last 16 of Europe's top club tournament.

A draw will be enough for Lyon to progress at Shakhtar's expense, so for the Ukrainians it is all or nothing.

Anticipation among the players and the fans of a packed and pulsating home stadium cheering the team to a place among the very elite of Europe was rising... until the match was moved last week to the capital Kiev.

Shakhtar will now host Lyon in a city over 700 kilometres away from home, the lair of one of their biggest rivals. 

The reason? War. And the introduction of martial law.

In late November, Russia seized three Ukrainian navy vessels and detained 24 crew members in the most dangerous incident in years between the ex Soviet neighbours.

In response, Kiev imposed martial law for 30 days in 10 regions that border Russia, including Shakhtar's temporary home in Kharkiv.

That in turn prompted UEFA to move the Shakhtar-Lyon match to Kiev.

"It's very hard for a club to play in an alien city," Ruslan, a Shakhtar supporter from Donetsk, told AFP. "The team, of course, lacks all those fans... their support."