Shakhtar Donetsk vs Bayern Munich prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-12-09 20:00.
[p]Shakhtar Donetsk have been admirable in defeat during this UEFA Champions League (UCL) season, holding Arsenal (L 1-0) and PSV (L 3-2) to single goal margins, but they’ve been short of regularly causing upset results. They’re amongst a handful of clubs across all UEFA competitions to have started at least four games as outsiders without a single victory (D1, L3), and the task ahead of them is expected to become even more difficult when they meet Bayern Munich for the first time in a decade. [/p]
[p]Their 7-0 away loss to Bayern in the 2014/15 season remains their heaviest losing margin in UEFA history, but repeating a result of such magnitude looks unlikely here as Shakhtar were victorious in three of their last four UCL nominal home games which were played on German soil, including against Barcelona and Antwerp (both 1-0) last season as well as Young Boys (2-1) in November. The one exception, a 3-0 loss against Atalanta in Gelsenkirchen, could provide an indication of what is to come here. [/p]
[p]That’s mainly because Atalanta and Bayern sit just two points apart in the UCL standings, with both given close to a 50% chance of reaching the quarter-finals of this competition by Opta. That’s a stage that Bayern have reached in each of the last five editions of the UCL, and with just one point separating them and the all-important top eight in this inaugural league phase, things are tracking okay so far albeit not smoothly. [/p]
[p]Bayern’s ambitions could be thwarted by what stands as their longest losing streak away from home in UCL/European Cup history, with league phase losses to Aston Villa and Barcelona following last season’s semi-final defeat at Real Madrid. The pressure could therefore mount on boss Vincent Kompany if they can’t take advantage of playing this game on German soil and end their five away game winless streak in UCL football (D1, L4). [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Danylo Sikan opened the scoring in Shakhtar’s 3-2 loss away to PSV for his fourth goal of the season, though it ended a streak of 12 consecutive wins across all competitions when he scores. Bayern sensation Jamal Musiala has been rated as Flashscore’s Player of the Match in six of his last 12 appearances for club and country, including against Benfica (W 1-0) in the UCL as well as his last two Bundesliga games. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Five of Bayern’s last seven games across all competitions produced under 2.5 total goals. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]