In a highly anticipated Champions League showdown, Shakhtar Donetsk will face Porto in Hamburg on Tuesday night.
Both teams are currently leading their respective domestic divisions, setting the stage for an intense battle.
Match Preview
Shakhtar Donetsk has been in impressive form this season, securing five wins and two draws in their opening seven league matches.
With 17 points, they sit comfortably at the top of the Ukrainian top flight.
Despite their domestic success, Shakhtar failed to advance beyond the group stage of last year’s Champions League and have struggled in recent years to progress further than the round of 16.
Managed by Patrick van Leeuwen, Shakhtar enters this match following a 1-0 league victory over Obolon Kyiv.
Their last Champions League fixture was a disappointing 4-0 defeat against RB Leipzig in November.
Porto, on the other hand, secured a 1-0 triumph over Estrela on Friday, taking them to the top of the Primeira Liga with 13 points from five matches.
Led by manager Sergio Conceicao, Porto aims to reclaim the top-flight title from Benfica this season.
Although they were last-16 contestants in the previous Champions League edition, their chances of making a deep run this year may be slim.
The two teams have met four times in European competitions, with Porto holding the upper hand, boasting two wins and remaining unbeaten against Shakhtar.
Team News:
Shakhtar will be without Mykola Matvienko, Valeriy Bondar, and Lassina Traore due to injuries.
Oleksiy Kashchuk, the joint-leading goalscorer for Shakhtar this season, is expected to feature prominently in the attack.
Danylo Sikan is also likely to start, while Taras Stepanenko and Oleksandr Zubkov are set to form the midfield duo in a 4-3-3 formation.
As for Porto, Ivan Marcano, Marko Grujic, Gabriel Veron, Francisco Conceicao, and Evanilson will be absent from the European contest due to injuries.
Wendell and Mehdi Taremi are expected to replace the injured players. Toni Martinez, Pepe Aquino, Joao Mario, and Stephen Eustaquio are also likely to feature in the starting lineup.
Possible starting lineups:
Shakhtar Donetsk:
Riznyk;
Konoplya, Kozik, Rakitskyi, Azarovi;
Stepanenko, Zubkov, Sudakov;
Kryskiv, Kashchuk, Sikan
Porto:
Costa;
Mario, Cardoso, Pepe, Wendell;
Gonzalez, Eustaquio;
Pepe, Franco, Martinez;
Taremi
Prediction:
Considering the strong form of both teams this season, predicting the outcome of this match is challenging.
A draw would be a plausible result for both sides, and we anticipate a hard-fought 1-1 tie in Group H on Tuesday.
