Shakhtar Donetsk vs Rijeka prediction: EUROPE: Conference League – League phase betting tips on match 2025-12-17 20:00.
[p]Second-placed Shakhtar Donetsk are on the verge of the last 16 in the UEFA Conference League, making this a tough test for a Rijeka side also vying for qualification.[/p]
[p]Match News and Current Form[/p]
[p]Three successive Conference League victories have put Shakhtar on the brink of qualifying automatically for the last 16, needing just a point here to confirm a top-eight finish. Only one side has outscored the Miners in the league phase, and a 5-0 domestic victory at the weekend only served to reinforce confidence amongst the Ukrainian giants. Shakhtar have now kept three successive clean sheets too, and given that they’ve only lost one of their last seven European games as the nominal home team despite playing on neutral territory (W4, D2), they understandably carry favouritism here.[/p]
[p]Rijeka boast a two-point buffer inside the play-off places in their first full European campaign since 2020/21, and with a four-match unbeaten run in this competition (W2, D2) behind them since defeat on matchday one, they’ve got good momentum heading into this clash. They’ve conceded just once in those four outings, and have avoided defeat in their last six completed fixtures across all competitions (W4, D2). Their last outing on the road was abandoned due to fog at the weekend, so Rijeka missed the chance to improve on a poor return across their last six competitive away fixtures (W1, D3, L2).[/p]
[p]Head-to-Head History[/p]
[p]Shakhtar are unbeaten in their four meetings with Croatian sides (W2, D2), while Rijeka have lost two of their three H2Hs against Ukrainian opponents (W1), albeit that victory came in their most recent such game in September 2020.[/p]
[p]Hot Stats and Streaks[/p]
[p]Seven of Shakhtar’s ten Conference League goals this term came after half-time.[/p]
[p]Shakhtar have scored 2+ goals in each of their last six designated home matches.[/p]
[p]Rijeka have failed to score in five of their last eight European away games.[/p]
[p]Only five sides committed more fouls across the first five matchdays than Rijeka (73).[/p]
[p]Key Players to Watch and Missing Players[/p]
[p]On target on matchday five, Luca Meirelles has scored three times across his last two games, while his last six Shakhtar goals have all arrived after half-time. Rijeka’s Stjepan Radeljić has been in the thick of the action lately with three goal involvements (G1, A2) and two bookings across his last four completed matches.[/p]
[p]Shakhtar don’t appear to have any fresh injury concerns, while Rijeka’s Dejan Petrovič is suspended.[/p]
[p]For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.[/p]
[p]Betting Analysis[/p]
[p]One of the toughest fixtures in the Conference League comes at a poor time for Rijeka, so we’re backing Shakhtar to win and secure their last 16 berth.[/p]
[p][i]Author: Ryan Fisher[/i][/p]