FC Porto vs Shakhtar Donetsk prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-12-12 20:00.
It’s a case of the winner takes all in Group H on matchday six of the UEFA Champions League (UCL), as Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk face-off locked on nine points each ahead of the round. After winning the reverse fixture 3-1 back in September, the Portuguese outfit merely need to avoid defeat to seal their place in the last 16 for the sixth time in seven campaigns, and they’ll certainly be confident of achieving that having never previously lost a H2H meeting (W4, D3).
Sérgio Conceição’s side have been in good form recently too, only suffering defeats to Estoril and Barcelona since late September (W9, L4), whilst he’ll be grateful that this crunch fixture falls at the Estádio do Dragão, as Porto have won 11 of their last 16 UCL group stage games here (D1, L4). That record does come with the caveat that both of their two previous losses against Ukrainian opposition have come on home soil (W4, D1).
Only a win will do for visiting Shakhtar Donetsk, but they arrive with their tails up having won three successive matches in all competitions without conceding a single goal in the process. That run started by beating Royal Antwerp 1-0 on matchday five, their second successive UCL victory by that scoreline, but the Miners will need to make it three on the spin if they’re to end a run of five unsuccessful group campaigns in this competition.
A streak of just five wins from their last 21 UCL group games (D7, L9) hasn’t helped that cause, and with six of their last ten such away matches also ending in defeat (D2, L6), they’ve got some pretty miserable form to overturn here if qualification is to come their way. Confidence could be taken instead from the fact that Shakhtar are unbeaten in away H2Hs against Portuguese sides for 12 years (W2, D2), though their last such defeat did come against Porto!
Players to watch: Porto winger Galeno starred in the reverse fixture, scoring twice and assisting another in the Dragons’ victory. Shakhtar forward Oleksandr Zubkov has hit form at the perfect time, directly contributing to a goal in three successive games (G2, A1).
Hot stat: Just one of Porto’s last 13 games in all competitions have witnessed a goalless first half.