Celtic were beaten 3-0 in Ukraine in October 2004 and face another tricky tie on Tuesday in their opening Champions League group game.

Lucescu is relishing another battle with Celtic, who beat his side 1-0 in Glasgow a fortnight after the drubbing in Donetsk.

"We have drawn Celtic again after meeting them a few years ago," he said.

"I'm sure they are a stronger team but we are a new team since then also, and we are much stronger."

Lucescu, the former coach of Romania, Galatasaray and Besiktas, said on Monday: "It's important to start the Champions League group stages successfully but we know it will be a tough game."

Shakhtar will be without suspended captain Dmytro Chygrynskiy, with his deputy Darijo Srna set to skipper the side.

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan called for perspective as he insisted the Parkhead side's dreadful away record in the Champions League is improving.

The Scottish champions have never won away from Glasgow since the old European Cup was rebranded, but they have another chance to make amends on Tuesday night at the RSC Olympiyskiy Stadium in their first Group D fixture.

Strachan's side lost 5-0 to Artmedia Bratislava in his first Champions League qualifier at the start of season 2005/06, a result which effectively ended their European aspirations for that campaign.

Last season, the Parkhead side were beaten away by Manchester United, FC Copenhagen and Benfica but still managed to get through to the group stages with nine points garnered at home.

Celtic lost to eventual winners AC Milan in the last 16 through a Kaka goal in extra time at the San Siro.

The Parkhead side drew 1-1 against Spartak Moscow in the Luzhniki Stadium in the first leg of this season's third qualifying round before going through on penalties to join Shakhtar, AC Milan and Benfica in a tricky group.

Strachan bristled at the inevitable mention of Celtic's away form in the Champions League.

He said: "If you count AC Milan taking over 100 minutes trying to score against us last season and then us drawing against Spartak as poor, then fair enough. I think it's good.

"Most teams have a better home record than away record, but we are getting better.

"I can't answer for every Celtic team that has played away in the Champions League.

"I can only deal with what I've been dealing with and I think we have improved over the last couple of years.

"This is a new side and so far this new side has knocked out a very good side (Spartak) so we have to use that.

"I can't use results from six or seven years ago to talk to my team, because that has gone, it's finished.

"We look to the future and the future is tomorrow night."