Dortmund vs Shakhtar Donetsk prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – League phase betting tips on match 2025-01-28 20:00.
[p]Borussia Dortmund’s hugely disappointing season continued on Saturday as they threw away a 2-0 lead at home to Werder Bremen, although the Black and Yellows had been reduced to ten men. That was the first match under caretaker boss Mike Tullberg, succeeding Nuri Şahin who was sacked after the 2-1 UEFA Champions League (UCL) defeat at Bologna last week. [/p]
[p]That game also saw Dortmund squander a lead, and although the Germans have secured at least an unseeded place in the knockout play-offs, they need to beat Shakhtar Donetsk to have any chance of progressing automatically to the last 16 – a stage they’ve reached in five of the last six campaigns. Last season’s UCL finalists at least have an extremely strong record against Ukrainian sides, avoiding defeat in eight prior meetings (W6, D2) – half of which have been against their upcoming opponents (W3, D1).[/p]
[p]Shakhtar’s hopes of making the UCL knockout phase are hanging by a thread, sitting three points adrift of the top-24 and with an inferior goal difference. Ahead of the trip to Dortmund, they would do well to remember that the last time they played away from home against a German opponent in this competition, they beat Leipzig 4-1 in 2022/23. [/p]
[p]That makes up a run of two wins from their last three games against Bundesliga sides in European competition (L1). They’re unlikely to be as sharp as their hosts, as owing to a long winter break in Ukraine, Shakhtar’s only competitive fixture in 2025 came on matchday seven, when they beat Brest 2-0 to keep their chances of progression alive – they last managed back-to-back UCL wins just once in the UCL proper in February 2018.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Julian Brandt has emerged victorious each time he’s scored in the UCL (W6), and may have found some form after an assist against Bremen marked his first direct goal contribution in five games. Shakhtar winger Kevin has scored in successive UCL matches, with both of those goals being match openers inside 20 minutes. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Nine of Dortmund’s last ten games across all competitions have seen both teams score. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Alex Bowmer[/i][/p]