Pep Guardiola’s side, who are unbeaten in eight games, have scored 22 goals in their last five outings and conceded just one.

Fonseca said: “We are going to be playing one of the best teams in the world, the team that has probably played better than anybody else in the last six games.

“We understand the strengths and weaknesses of the players and the manager but this is going to be a game of maximum complexity.”

Shakhtar were rocked last week by the news their captain Darijo Srna, the vastly experienced former Croatia international, had failed a drugs test.

The 35-year-old has not officially been banned over the out-of-competition test but he has voluntarily made himself unavailable as he fights to clear his name. The nine-time Ukrainian Premier League winner insists he has never knowingly taken a banned substance.

Fonseca, speaking at a his pre-match press conference, said: “I don’t want to speak too much about this but he is a great player and a great professional, and for us it is difficult if he doesn’t play.”

Much of Shakhtar’s recent success has been built around a strong South American core. Their squad currently contains eight Brazilians and two Argentinians.

Fonseca said: “Our Brazilian players help us a great deal. They are good players with good character. They can adapt to new strategies and they are very technical. They are very important for our team. We have a lot of good quality players in our team.”

Shakhtar have not played in Donestsk for more than three years due to war. They spent two years playing more than 750 miles away in Lviv and are now based in Kharkiv, still almost 200 miles from their home city.

Fonseca said: “I have to be honest, it is not easy to return quickly but I think Shakhtar have the conditions to continue to be a great team in every place. Of course our home is our home, but Shakhtar won last year. It is more difficult but it is not impossible to continue to win.”