Shakhtar Donetsk's Champions League home games move to Stamford Bridge, and London's Ukrainian community is turning exile into a matchday occasion.
Shakhtar Donetsk will stage their Champions League home fixtures at Stamford Bridge this season, and the Ukrainian community in the UK is determined to make the west London venue feel like theirs.
Nobody would have chosen this. Playing "home" games hundreds of miles from home is a reminder of the situation behind it, and it is far from the matchday experience any club dreams of on Europe's biggest stage. But for Ukrainians living in Britain, the move is also a chance to gather, show support and see their football team in person.
The mood around the arrangement is about making the best of a hard situation. Supporters, families and members of the wider diaspora now have a Champions League venue on their doorstep. For many, these nights are about community and identity as much as the result on the pitch.
For Shakhtar, the challenge is to turn a borrowed stadium into a genuine advantage. Stamford Bridge has hosted countless big European nights, and the club will want its passionate following to give the place a distinctly Ukrainian atmosphere when the Champions League anthem plays.
