Tuesday 17 February 2015 20:12, UK
Pep Guardiola is confident Bayern Munich have returned to top form just in time for their Champions League round of 16 first leg against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday after their biggest Bundesliga win in 31 years.
The German champions head to Ukraine on the back of an 8-0 win over Hamburg, a performance which delighted coach Guardiola after his side made a stuttering return from the winter break.
"Now we can focus on our first Champions League game this year," Guardiola said. "I am happy that our playing style is back. Obviously the mood in the team is now much better."
After last month's unexpected 4-1 defeat at Wolfsburg, Bayern now travel to face Shakhtar, who have left their home city for Lviv, 750 miles from Donetsk.
And Bayern man Thomas Muller, who has three goals in the Champions League this season, admits the situation in Ukraine is hard to grasp.
"It's a unique experience to be playing against a team that is based in a crisis area," forward Thomas Mueller said. "Somehow, it's a surreal situation.
"You know there is this terrible war out there, but you don't really realize it because you don't really know such a situation personally."
Shakhtar's Brazilian striker Luiz Adriano, who netted nine times in the Champions League group stage, believes the Ukrainian side are well-prepared for the visit of Bayern.
"We have paid a lot of attention to find out their weaknesses," he said. "We want to know everything about our rivals so there are no surprises during the game as they are not always pleasant.
"Our first task is to win. We would never be content with a draw, even against Bayern."
Keep up to date with Chelsea's trip to PSG on our live blog and on Soccer Special on Sky Sports News HQ, before watching highlights on Sky Sports 5HD from 11pm on Tuesday. Shakhtar Donetsk v Bayern Munich is live from 7.30pm on Sky Sports 1HD.
