Are the royals rehabilitating themselves in the east of Europe?
After the first two matchdays in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, a first tendency towards the possible round of sixteenists can already be seen. A total of five teams have not even scored a goal so far. One of these teams is Ukrainian top club Shakhtyor Donetsk, who host Real Madrid on Tuesday.
However, it is not only the Ukrainian serial champions who have disappointed in the royal class so far, but also the royals from Madrid. The home defeat against debutants Sheriff Tiraspol was probably one of the biggest surprises in recent years. Despite this embarrassment, the Ancelotti eleven is considered the clear favourite in Eastern Europe. Between Shakhtyor Donetsk and Real Madrid, the betting odds for the visitors are in the region of 1.60.
It is not only the cold autumn weather (three degrees are expected) that will be a challenge for Real Madrid. For the Madrilenians, it is also the first competitive match after the international break. The Ukrainians, meanwhile, gained a lot of self-confidence with a 6:1 league win at the weekend.
Shakhtyor Donetsk – Statistics & current form
Relatively clearly missed the Ukrainian top club in the past season the title defence – finally, the gap to Dynamo Kiev was eleven points. Not surprisingly, this also marked the end of Luis Castro’s tenure. With the Italian Roberto de Zerbi, a young, ambitious head coach was hired. The 42-year-old was recruited by US Sassuolo. He is supposed to lead the team, a mixture of Ukrainians and Brazilians, back to the top.
Two defeats in 18 competitive games
As of mid-October, his record is quite respectable and the 13-time Ukrainian champions have suffered just two defeats in 18 competitive matches under de Zerbi. That gives him an average of 2.22 points per game. And yet the league situation is not really satisfactory, neither in the domestic championship nor in the Champions League. In the league, the gap to arch-rival Kiev is three points after eleven rounds.
In the Champions League, Shakhtyor’s back is against the wall after two bitter defeats. Already after the “double” against Real Madrid, the dream of an international winter could fizzle out. As if the task is not already extremely challenging, de Zerbi will have to do without several important players in Tuesday’s home match. Former Schalke player Yevgen Konoplyanka, Dentinho, Junior Moraes and top scorer Lassina Traore will all be unavailable. On the other hand, young goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin is fit again and made his comeback last weekend. Veteran Pyatov (37) moves back into the second string.
Many chances, no goals
Despite the notable absences, the team made a clear statement last weekend. In the top match against Zorya Luhansk (4th), the orange and black team celebrated a brilliant 6:1 victory. Self-confidence, which is bitterly needed, because especially on the international stage it is not yet working out with the goals.
In the first two group matches, the Donetsk attack fired no less than 32 shots, but not a single one crossed the goal line. Of the five teams still scoreless, no other team has attempted it more often. In terms of passing quality, the Ukrainians are among the leaders. An outstanding 90.4 per cent of all passes find their team-mate, only Chelsea can boast a better rate.
In terms of play, the De-Zerbi team is on a strong level, but simply lacks goals. There will also be chances to score against Real, so the prediction of goals for both teams in Shakhtyor Donetsk against Real Madrid is definitely worthwhile.
Predicted line-up of Shakhtyor Donetsk:
Trubin – Matvienko, Bondar, Marlon, Dodo – Marcos Antonio, Maycon – Pedrinho, Alan Patrick, Marlos – Fernando
Last matches played by Shakhtyor Donetsk:
Real Madrid – Statistics & current form
The third group match in the UEFA Champions League will be Real Madrid’s first competitive match since their embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Espanyol Barcelona on 3 October. Due to the many South American legionnaires, the league match against Athletic Bilbao this weekend was postponed. Whether this is actually an advantage remains to be seen. The lack of match practice is at least not an advantage.
Second away win for the Royals?
A bigger embarrassment than the league defeat was undoubtedly the defeat against Sheriff Tiraspol a few days earlier. The Ancelotti eleven thus frittered away their very good starting position. In the first group match, a last-minute goal by the Brazilian Rodrygo decided the duel against the Italian champions Inter Milan.
Should the Royal side also win the second CL away game this season, this would be the first time since the 2014/15 season that they have done so. At that time, they won at Ludogorets Rasgrad and Liverpool in the CL opener. On Tuesday, odds of around 1.60 are offered for this bet on Shakhtyor Donetsk against Real Madrid. Ancelotti’s personal record is also in favour of this bet, as he has not lost two CL matches in a row since 2017 – and Ancelotti has won all four of his competitive matches against Shakhtyor Donetsk in his coaching career.
Guarantee of success Benzema
Brazilian Ronaldo made his case for Karim Benzema as the 2021 Ballon d’Or winner. Indeed, the Frenchman has been in outstanding form for months. Since the start of the last CL season, he has been directly involved in 76 finishes, the absolute best of any player. In the Spanish LaLiga, too, Benzema underlined his importance for the royals with nine goals in eight games. The offensive game stands and falls with him. A bet on a Benzema goal is therefore absolutely obvious.
Predicted line-up of Real Madrid:
Courtois – Gutierrez, Militao, Alaba, Vazquez – Casemiro, Kroos, Valverde – Modric – Vinicius Junior, Benzema
Last matches played by Real Madrid:
Shakhtjor Donetsk – Real Madrid Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
Already last season, the two teams crossed blades in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. Those who believe that those matches were a clear-cut affair for the white ballet from Madrid are proved wrong. Shakhtyor Donetsk became only the fifth team in CL history to win both home and away matches against Real Madrid in the group stage.
In the 2015/16 season, meanwhile, the Spanish side lived up to their role as favourites, claiming two victories in the group stage at that time. This means that the direct comparison before the fifth encounter – with two victories in each case – is balanced.
Shakhtyor Donetsk – Real Madrid tip
In temperatures approaching zero, the Royals must find their way back to winning ways after two 2-1 defeats. The Ancelotti eleven squandered the good starting position and is accordingly under pressure. There is no value to be found in the regular betting market between Shakhtyor Donetsk and Real Madrid. For betting odds of less than 1.60, the guests are in too weak a condition.
The defenses of both teams in particular are far from solid and allow their opponents an unusually large number of scoring opportunities. The Ukrainians have not scored yet, but after six full goals at the weekend, there should be enough self-confidence to finally get going. Real, however, are certainly the favourites, and so the prediction between Shakhtyor Donetsk and Real Madrid is that both teams will score and Real will win. Lucrative betting odds of up to 2.87 are offered for this. Our bet is five units.
