Shakhtar Donetsk vs Young Boys prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-11-05 17:45.
[p]Shakhtar Donetsk boast a reassuring record against Swiss opposition in European football (W8, D1, L3) but it was upcoming opponents Young Boys who broke their hearts in the last such meeting between these sides to deny them a UEFA Champions League group stage appearance in 2016/17. That was just one season before Shakhtarâs most recent Champions League knockouts berth, a record which looks set to stay in place based on their current league phase struggles.[/p]
[p]At a distinct disadvantage due to having to play outside of Ukraine, Shakhtar have done reasonably well to establish a âhome away from homeâ in Germany by taking a positive result from three of their five UEFA home games in Hamburg or Gelsenkirchen (W2, D1, L2) since the start of last season. That was dented by a humiliating 3-0 loss to Atalanta in the second of their three league phase games without a win (D1, L2), prompting head coach Marino PuĆĄiÄ to plead for more locals to head to the Arena AufSchalke and make a âvery big differenceâ.[/p]
[p]Young Boys are one of six clubs to start matchday four below Shakhtar in the 36-team table as theyâve suffered three defeats from three. Additionally, they join Shakhtar as one of the four teams who have failed to score across the first three matchdays, albeit with a goal difference of -9 compared to the Ukrainiansâ -4. [/p]
[p]They may not have a better opportunity to pick up their first league phase goal or win than this one, but the Swiss club could be forgiven for no longer giving the Champions League priority now that their chances of advancing are remote. That’s because Young Boysâ 0-0 draw against Zurich at the weekend left them reeling in third-last in the Swiss Super League standings and a long way away from qualifying for any continental football for next season.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Artem Bondarenko boasts a near-perfect W8, D1 record when scoring in any competition since the start of last season, having given Shakhtar the lead in two league matches since their last continental fixture. Young Boysâ Filip Ugrinic was their only player to score in three league matches since their loss to Inter in the last Champions League matchweek. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Young Boys have not scored before half-time in any of their last eight competitive matches.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]