It is advantage Shakhtar Donetsk entering Thursday night's Europa League quarter-final second leg against Braga, which pits the easternmost team left in the competition against one from the other end of the continent.
The Ukrainian outfit secured a 2-1 win in North-West Portugal last week and will be heavy favourites to progress.
Shakhtar
© AFP
Since scraping into the Europa League because of their superior head-to-head record against Swedish minnows Malmo in the Champions League group stage, Shakhtar have been arguably the most impressive of anyone in the Europa League.
A 0-0 draw at home to Schalke 04 was not an ideal start, but since then the Miners have won four in a row, convincingly dispatching of Schalke (3-0) and Anderlecht (4-1) before growing into last week's contest in Braga.
Mircea Lucescu's side started slowly at the Estadio Municipal, but after Yaroslav Rakitskiy's deflected goal gave them an undeserved half-time lead, they took control and grabbed a second away goal on the break through Facundo Ferreyra before Wilson Eduardo's late header gave the Portuguese side a glimmer of hope.
Still, it is an impressive first-leg win and means that Shakhtar have won their last four European matches – their best run in Europe since March 2011 (five wins).
If they equal that mark and make it five it will also be the first time since October 2012 that they have won back-to-back European matches at home.
Since last Thursday's win, Shakhtar have suffered disappointment by conceding a 93rd-minute equaliser against Stal Dniprodzerzhynsk on Sunday to drop five points behind Dynamo Kiev at the top of the Ukrainian Premier League.
The Miners are in the quarters of a European competition for the first time since the 2010-11 Champions League, when they were knocked out by Barcelona.
They last reached the quarter-finals of this competition in 2009, going on to win the last-ever edition of the UEFA Cup before it became the Europa League.
Recent Europa League form: DWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWLWWD
Braga
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It is all to do for Paulo Fonseca's men after they failed to build on a promising start against Shakhtar at home.
Wilson's well-directed late header has given them a chance of advancing, but they will need to be more clinical in attack and sharpen up defensively if they are to improve away from home.
The Archbishops have failed to score in three of their last four Europa League away matches and only won two of their five European matches on the road this season.
Their overall form has dipped in recent weeks as well. Between January and March they went on a 15-match unbeaten stretch but have now lost four of the last seven in all competitions and not won any of the last three having been held by bottom-half Primeira Liga side Moreirense on Sunday.
This is the second time that Braga have reached the quarter-final stage of the Europa League. In 2010-11 they eventually lost in the final to fellow Portuguese side Porto.
Recent Europa League form: DWDLWL
Recent form (all competitions): LWWLLD
Team News
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Wilson will be pushing for a start in attack after he came on as a substitute and headed home Braga's lifeline.
The visitors will still be without Crislan and Rui Fonte – both struggling with hamstring problems – while Josue is doubtful with a thigh injury.
Shakhtar centre-back Rakitskiy picked up a caution in the first leg which rules him out this week, but Olexandr Kucher is able to return from his ban and should take the former's place in the heart of defence.
Fred is still suspended, so Ferreyra will be expected to continue in attack for the home side.
Shakhtar possible starting lineup:
Pyatov; Srna, Ordets, Kucher, Ismaily; Stepanenko, Malyshev; Marlos, Kovalenko, Taison; Ferreyra
Braga possible starting lineup:
Matheus; Baiano, Boly, Ferreira, Goiano; Santos, Carlos, Vukcevic, Rafa; Hassan, Wilson
Head To Head
Last week's victory means that Shakhtar have now won all three matches against Braga having also won both home and away in the group stages of the 2010-11 Champions League.
Wilson's goal in the dying stages was the first time in almost 270 minutes of football that Braga had scored against Shakhtar after losing the first two meetings 0-3 and 2-0.
None of the last 10 European fixtures between Portuguese and Ukrainian clubs has been won by the team from Portugal (six Ukrainian wins, four draws).
We say: Shakhtar 2-0 Braga
Braga's form at home in Europe was much better than their away record going into last week's first leg, so the fact that they lost means Shakhtar are heavy favourites to go through. Back in Lviv, Shakhtar should book their place in the last four.
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