Thomas Muller: Playing Champions League game in Ukraine 'a surreal situation'

Tuesday's Champions League clash will be a welcome distraction for football fans in Ukraine.

The country's lone representative in the tournament, Shakhtar Donetsk, will clash with Bayern Munich in a match played nearly 1,000 km away from their home stadium because of the damage to Donbass Arena from an artillery attack in October.

(Courtesy: Reuters)

The conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists have forced Shakhtar to move across the country, calling Arena Lviv home for the foreseeable future until hostilities subside and their stadium is repaired.

Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller talked recently about the unusual circumstances surrounding their Round-of-16 encounter, acknowledging the team's awareness of the conflict.

"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," Muller said, courtesy of the BBC.

"It's hard to grasp to be playing against a team that is based in a crisis area. It's a surreal situation."

The defending Ukrainian champions were compelled to play in Lviv during the group stage, where they experienced more success outside the country than in the eastern part of their country.

"For us, it's a big problem, because we are not playing at home, we are playing away, a new arena," Shakhtar captain Darijo Srna said.