Valencia can make itself firm favourite to reach the next round of the Champions League if it maintains its perfect start to this season's competition against visiting Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.
Valencia, which was the losing Champions League finalist in 2000 and 2001, leads Group D with six points after two wins. AS Roma has three points, while Olympiakos and Shakhtar each have one. Olympiakos entertains Roma in the night's other game.
However, Valencia needs to bounce back from its first Spanish league defeat of the season _ Sunday's 3-2 loss at Celta Vigo.
``The team wasn't at its best but we hope Wednesday's game will bring our confidence back,'' Valencia defender David Navarro said. ``It's not a match which adds pressure on us. If we beat Shakhtar we'll be sure to reach the next round.''
Valencia winger Vicente Rodriguez injured his left ankle Sunday and will join three more Spanish internationals on the sidelines: central defender Carlos Marchena, left back Asier del Horno and midfielder Ruben Baraja.
Shakhtar will hope to improve on its first away match of the group when it crashed 4-0 to Roma.
Yet history isn't in the Ukrainian team's favour, with defeats in its three previous visits to Spain.
In addition, Shakhtar will be without injured midfielder Elano Blumer, who scored twice in Brazil's 3-0 win over Argentina in a friendly in London in September.
Also ruled out of a 23-man squad picked by coach Mircea Lucescu is Croatia midfielder Darijo Srna. Striker Olexiy Byelik is doubtful.
Shakhtar will be wary of striker Fernando Morientes, who added another goal on Sunday to continue his successful start with Valencia following his off-season move from Liverpool.
The Spain striker has scored four times in the league and is also joint top scorer in the Champions League with Manchester United's Louis Saha and Chelsea's Didier Drogba.
Morientes, the only player to have scored Champions League goals with four clubs _ Real Madrid, AS Monaco, Liverpool and Valencia _ described his new team's start to the competition as ``very encouraging.''
``But we have to have our feet on the ground. There are lots of experienced clubs who have won lots of European Cups involved,'' Morientes said.
