Barcelona is on the verge of securing their spot in the Champions League knockout stage with two games to spare if they can avoid defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night.
The Catalan team has been in exceptional form in Group H, leading the group with nine points from three matches. In contrast, Shakhtar Donetsk is currently third, having collected three points from their initial three games.
Match Preview
Shakhtar Donetsk kicked off their Group H campaign with a 3-1 home loss to Porto but bounced back impressively, defeating Royal Antwerp 3-2 in their second match in early October.
In their third game of the group stage on October 25, Marino Pusic’s side put up a strong performance against Barcelona but ended up with a 2-1 defeat.
With three points from three games, they now sit in third place, three points behind second-placed Porto.
While Shakhtar cannot be eliminated from the competition on Tuesday, a loss would leave them in a challenging position before their final two games, putting immense pressure on the Ukrainian team.
Shakhtar comes into this match fresh from a 1-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine’s top flight, placing them third in the table with 24 points.
When it comes to facing Spanish teams at home, Shakhtar has won three, drawn five, and lost seven in previous fixtures.
However, it’s important to note that this match will be played in Hamburg, making it difficult to categorize as a true home game.
In their last five Champions League campaigns, Shakhtar has been unable to progress from the group stage.
Nevertheless, they see a chance to finish ahead of Antwerp in third place if they can’t secure a top-two position, as Barcelona and Porto are currently in strong positions.
Barcelona has faced difficulties in the past two Champions League group-stage campaigns, failing to reach the knockout round.
However, in an unexpected turn of events, the Catalan side is poised to reach the round of 16 this season.
Barcelona can secure their progression with a draw in this match, and even if they lose on Tuesday night, they would still be in a favorable position.
The La Liga champions lead Group H with nine points, starting with a 5-0 victory over Antwerp in their group opener and following up with back-to-back wins against Porto and Shakhtar in their last two matches.
Barcelona did suffer a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico at the end of last month, but they managed to secure a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad in La Liga on Saturday evening, with Ronald Araujo scoring the winner in added time.
When playing against Ukrainian opposition in European football, Barcelona has won seven, drawn one, and lost three of their previous 11 away matches.
However, their overall away record in this competition shows 14 wins in their last 32 away matches, with nine defeats.
Team News
Shakhtar Donetsk will be missing Stav Lemkin, Lassina Traore, and Ivan Petryak for this contest.
Irakli Azarovi is also expected to miss out due to an injury sustained against Dynamo Kyiv. Yaroslav Rakitskyi is set to replace Azarovi in the starting lineup.
For Barcelona, Pedri made his return off the bench against Real Sociedad but is not expected to start.
The team’s only definite absentee is Sergi Roberto, who is dealing with a calf problem. Frenkie de Jong is also doubtful due to an ankle issue.
Robert Lewandowski is expected to start, while there could be a couple of changes from the weekend’s clash against Real Sociedad.
Andreas Christensen and Raphinha might come into the side. Lamine Yamal and Oriol Romeu are also options for the starting lineup.
Predicted Lineups:
Shakhtar Donetsk:
- Riznyk;
- Konoplya, Bondar, Matvienko, Rakitskyi;
- Stepanenko, Bondarenko;
- Kryskiv, Sudakov, Zubkov;
- Sikan
Barcelona:
- Ter Stegen;
- Araujo, Kounde, Christensen;
- Cancelo, Gavi, Gundogan, Balde;
- Raphinha, Lewandowski, Felix
Predicted Score: Shakhtar Donetsk 1-2 Barcelona
While Shakhtar is expected to put up a tough fight, Barcelona’s quality should see them through to their fourth victory in the group.