Can Barcelona fulfill their duty?
Shakhtar Donetsk will host FC Barcelona in the Champions League at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion, as home games are not yet possible in Ukraine. In the meantime, however, the team has gotten used to the circumstances
The Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona prediction from the betting providers shows that the Catalans are naturally the favorites. Individually, Barcelona are better, but in recent weeks, not everything the team has brought to the pitch has been sovereign
The Ukrainians are already under a lot of pressure in the top flight, while Barcelona’s goal is to progress as soon as possible. Based on the signs, our Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Barcelona betting tip is that the visitors will win and score more than 1.5 goals.
Shakhtar Donetsk – Statistics & current form
The situation that Shakhtar Donetsk have had to deal with for what feels like an eternity is not easy. Due to the war, there are no home games, which is why the Ukrainians are also playing in Hamburg this season. They now host FC Barcelona after the Catalans won the first leg 2:1. Meanwhile, league action in Ukraine is being maintained as best as possible.
The top match, the absolute prestige duel, took place there on Friday. Donetsk played at Dynamo Kiev and celebrated a 1:0 victory, with Zubkov scoring the decisive goal. The home side are now in third place, two points off the top and with one game in hand. The quality has definitely suffered in recent years, as the unstable situation means that many players from abroad are no longer willing to play for a club from Ukraine.
Despite this, the squad includes very good players such as Sudakov, Bondarenko and Matvienko, but they are primarily players from Ukraine and not foreign players. Shakhtar Donetsk have often played against FC Barcelona and have not won any of their last seven games. However, the first leg showed that there could be starting points
Shakhtar Donetsk need a perfect day
Shakhtar Donetsk have won four of their last five competitive matches, and the second half of the first leg of their narrow defeat in Barcelona was not bad either. The team has three points after three group games in the UEFA Champions League and progression is still possible. However, at least a point should be earned in Hamburg and Shakhtar Donetsk will have to push themselves to the limit to achieve this.
The Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona odds show relatively clearly how the roles are distributed. Barcelona have everything in their own hands, go into the match as the heavy favorites and will normally win. The Ukrainians certainly need good form on the day as well as a bit of luck.
Based on the signs ahead of the match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Barcelona, our prediction is that the visitors will win the match and that more than 1.5 goals will be scored in the process
Predicted line-up of Shakhtar Donetsk:
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
For FC Barcelona, it’s always about the title in every competition in which the team participates. The Catalans are looking to make a good impression this season, having recently reached the Europa League twice. As one of four teams to have picked up a perfect haul of nine points so far, Barca appear to be on course. However, not all is well yet, as the Catalans are still leaving too much to chance.
At the weekend, they celebrated a narrow 1:0 victory at Real Sociedad, which came in the closing stages. FC Barcelona kept a cool head, but also had to survive some tricky scenes. Coach Xavi’s team are in third place in the Spanish league, behind Real Madrid and FC Girona. The championship still seems possible, there are still a lot of games to be played, but the final percentage points have been lacking at times.
For only the third time in history, Barcelona could win all of their first four games in the group stage. That would be a milestone and would also be tantamount to progressing. That’s why the objective is clear: to secure a fifth win in a row against Shakhtar Donetsk, ideally without any danger
Barcelona: Stability as a decisive factor
The FC Barcelona season can easily be summed up by saying it has been good, but not outstanding. There has only been one defeat so far this season, in the Clasico. But they have also drawn three league games and have conceded twelve league goals, i.e. one per game. This record was better last season. This is another reason why the Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona betting odds show that the bookmakers are expecting goals to be scored.
The Catalans have been shaky at times this season, especially in defense. Not everything has been confident, which could be an advantage for the hosts. That’s why our value tip ahead of the match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Barcelona is that both teams will score.
Predicted Barcelona line-up:
Shakhtar Donetsk – Barcelona head-to-head comparison / H2H result
The two teams have met several times in Europe. There have been ten encounters so far, with Shakhtar Donetsk winning two of them. One match ended in a draw and the Catalans have come out on top seven times. The last meeting before this season was in 2010/11, with Barca winning twice
Shakhtar Donetsk – Barcelona betting tip
Shakhtar Donetsk will certainly not have to hide against this opponent, but the roles are clearly distributed in favor of the guests. Barcelona will be looking to seal the deal in this group
Taking all the signs into account, our prediction ahead of the match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Barcelona is that the visitors will win and that more than 1.5 goals will be scored in the game.
