Nothing to lose for Shakhtyor
On Wednesday, the last tickets for the last 16 of the Champions League will be awarded. Also in the draw is still RB Leipzig. The Bullen have the jump into the playoffs in their own hands.
The final showdown will take place in Warsaw against Shakhtyor Donetsk. Either the Ukrainians or the Saxons will accompany Real Madrid into the next round.
The defending champions from Madrid are top of Group F with ten points. The jump into the round of 16 is certain. With a home win against the surely eliminated Scots of Celtic Glasgow, the royals would advance as group winners. More exciting is the duel between Donetsk and Leipzig. The Bullen are in second place with nine points. Shakhtyor have six points and are third.
With a home win in Warsaw, the Ukrainians would pass Marco Rose’s team on the basis of the direct comparison. The Bullen, on the other hand, would need a draw to finish second.
It certainly won’t be that easy. The Bullen have a great home record, but at the same time they have their problems away from home and that’s why we can imagine that the Bundesliga team will also be satisfied with a point-split. We therefore think it is conceivable to place a tip on a draw in the match between Shakhtyor Donetsk and RB Leipzig.
Shakhtyor Donetsk – Statistics & current form
The conditions under which Shakhtyor Donetsk are currently delivering professional football at a very high level are anything but easy. Basically, it is already sensational that the Ukrainians still have the chance to spend the winter in the Champions League and that it will at least continue in the Europa League. Igor Jovicevic’s team is currently second in the Premier League. With one game less, they are five points behind leaders Dnipro.
Hard to beat with home advantage
Overall, Shakhtyor are in very good form. In their last seven games, they have only lost once, and that was at Real Madrid’s Estadio Bernabeu. You can’t talk about home games, but when the Ukrainians have been at home, they haven’t lost in eight games. Therefore, we think that between Shakhtyor Donetsk and RB Leipzig we definitely have to keep an eye on the odds for a point win for the Ukrainians.
Last weekend also saw another quite bizarre performance. In the Premier League, Donetsk played against Olexandrija in Lviv. In the meantime, the match had to be interrupted because of an air alarm. Unfortunately, this is the daily routine in the Ukrainian league. In the end, Bogdan Mykhaylichenko and Mykhailo Mudryk scored in a 2-2 draw.
Actually, it is amazing that the Ukrainians continue to be internationally competitive. After all, almost all the legionnaires have left the club for good reasons. However, it is becoming clear just at this time that Ukraine has fabulous talents who are more than holding their own in the Champions League. In terms of personnel, things look very tidy. With Viktor Kornienko, only one injured player is likely to be absent.
Predicted line-up of Shakhtyor Donetsk:
Trubin – Mykhaylichenko, Kryvtsov, Bondar, Lucas Taylor – Nazaryna, Stepanenko – Zubkov, Bondarenko, Mudryk – Sikan – Coach: Jovicevic
Last matches played by Shakhtyor Donetsk:
Premier League
29/10/2022 – Shakhtar Donetsk 2 – 2 PFK Olexandrija
Champions League Grp. F
26/10/2022 – Celtic Glasgow 1 – 1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Premier League
19/10/2022 – Shakhtar Donetsk 3 – 0 FC Kolos Kovalivka
16/10/2022 – Shakhtar Donetsk 3 – 1 Dynamo Kiev
Champions League Grp. F
12/10/2022 – Shakhtar Donetsk 1 – 1 Real Madrid
RB Leipzig – Statistics & current form
RB Leipzig have finally got their act together. With Marco Rose, they could be heading to the last 16 of the Champions League for the third time in four years. The Bullen have earned that with three wins in a row in the top flight. The Saxons have yet to win four in a row in this competition and that would be an absolute novelty.
Very positive trend for the Bulls
Overall, RasenBallsport have a very good record and have not lost for nine competitive matches. However, there is also a flip side to the coin, as there are always problems away from home. In the eight away games this season, there has only been one victory. The Bulls do not need one on Wednesday, which is why we are still predicting a draw between Shakhtyor Donetsk and RB Leipzig.
However, the Saxons did record a commanding 2-0 home win last weekend. Against an indisposed Werkself, however, it was not particularly difficult to claim the three points after goals from Christopher Nkunku and Timo Werner. As a result, Leipzig have climbed back up to sixth place in the Bundesliga.
The Bullen are hoping that Janis Blaswich can be back in goal after calf problems. Peter Gulacsi is still injured and Örjan Nyland, who was reactivated at short notice, is not eligible to play in the premier league. Otherwise, Lukas Klostermann and Konrad Laimer are the only sure absentees. Whether it will be enough for Yussuf Poulsen to make the squad after muscular problems remains to be seen.
Predicted line-up of RB Leipzig:
Blaswich – Gvardiol, Orban, Diallo – Raum, Kampl. Schlager, Henrichs – Szoboszlai, Nkunku, Werner – Coach: Rose
Last matches played by RB Leipzig:
Bundesliga
29/10/2022 – RB Leipzig 2 – 0 Bayer Leverkusen
Champions League Grp. F
26/10/2022 – RB Leipzig 3 – 2 Real Madrid
Bundesliga
22/10/2022 – Augsburg 3 – 3 RB Leipzig
DFB Cup
18/10/2022 – RB Leipzig 4 – 0 Hamburger SV
Bundesliga
15/10/2022 – RB Leipzig 3 – 2 Hertha BSC
Shakhtyor Donetsk – RB Leipzig Direct comparison / H2H record
The first leg between RB Leipzig and Shakhtyor Donetsk was the only clash between these two clubs. The 4:1 victory of the Ukrainians in the Red Bull Arena was almost a sensation. Mohamed Simakan equalised the early deficit through Marian Shved. Marian Shved, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Lassina Traore then scored the other goals for the Ukrainian away victory.
This was the only success for Schachtjor in the twelve games against German clubs. The vulnerable defence is particularly worth mentioning, as in the last six games, including the match in Leipzig, the Ukrainians have conceded 22 goals against German teams, an average of 3.7 goals per game. So maybe they will score more than 2.5 goals on Wednesday as well.
Shakhtyor Donetsk – RB Leipzig Tip
Surely you have to favour RB Leipzig in this match, but Shakhtyor Donetsk have had good results and also gave defending champions Real Madrid a run for their money in Warsaw. Therefore, we would not bet on an away win, especially since the Bullen have their worries and hardships away from home. You think week after week that these problems should now be solved, but the Saxons have won only one of eight away games.
On the other hand, the Ukrainians are very strong in games with home rights, admittedly not even in their own stadium. The support of the Polish fans makes the matches almost a real home game for Igor Jovicevic’s eleven.
We don’t think a home win is completely out of the question either, even though the Ukrainians have only won one of their last twelve matches against Bundesliga teams. That victory, however, came in the first leg at the Red Bull Arena. That is why we have decided to play the double odds 1X in the match between Shakhtyor Donetsk and RB Leipzig.
