MX23RW : Thursday, March 28 07:24:38| >> :600:509336:509336:
[monks data]
Shakhtar Donetsk
Champions League | Group Stage
Nov 3, 2020 at 5.55pm UK
Oblasny SportKomplex Metalist
Borussia Monchengladbach logo

Shakhtar
0 - 6
Borussia M'bach


Khotcholava (46'), Solomon (63')
FT(HT: 0-4)
Plea (8', 26', 78'), Bondar (17' og.), Bensebaini (44'), Stindl (65')
Lang (89')

Preview: Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Borussia Monchengladbach - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Tuesday's Champions League match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Monchengladbach, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Shakhtar Donetsk host Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday in Group B of the Champions League, with both sides looking to remain unbeaten after promising starts in the competition.

The Ukrainian champions surprisingly lead a tough group having beaten Real Madrid and drawn to Inter Milan, with Gladbach drawing both of their matches against the same European giants.


Match preview

Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois reacts after Raphael Varane scores an own goal against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on October 21, 2020© Reuters

Luis Castro has been without several key players in both Champions League matches so far, largely due to positive coronavirus tests, so to be on four points from two matches against recent champions of this competition is quite something.

Indeed, Shakhtar stunned the world by taking a 3-0 lead in the first half on the opening matchday at Real Madrid, with a late comeback from the 13-times champions of the competition ultimately held off in a dramatic 3-2 victory. 20-year-old Tete was the star of the show, scoring and assisting while constantly causing a threat on the counter.

Castro's side were considerably fortunate to avoid defeat against Inter, though, with the Italians dominating the match but missing several good chances to be held to a 0-0 draw. Nicolo Barella and Romelu Lukaku both hit the crossbar, with Lautaro Martinez missing from six yards after Anatoliy Trubin had parried Marcelo Brozovic's strike.

It seems unlikely they will get away with a similarly tepid performance against a Gladbach side who can be ruthless in attack on their day, but equally Shakhtar will fancy their chances of testing their opposition going the other way much more frequently.

Matthias Ginter in action for Gladbach on February 22, 2020© Reuters

While Marco Rose will be content with his side remaining unbeaten in Europe's elite competition, especially given the fierce competition they have faced, the 44-year-old must be scratching his head wondering how his side have only picked up two points from their two matches so far.

Having fought back brilliantly to lead Inter 2-1 at San Siro, with Florian Neuhaus in sensational form in midfield, Gladbach allowed a last-minute corner to run all the way across their box with Lukaku duly tapping in at the back post to tie the game 2-2.

It was de ja vu against Real Madrid, too, with Marcus Thuram's brace giving the Germans the lead until Karim Benzema restored hope for Zinedine Zidane's side in 87th minute. Gladbach nerves jangled once more with midfielder Casemiro scoring a last-minute equaliser to deny them three points in the dying seconds once more in another 2-2 draw.

Rose will be targeting the trip to Shakhtar as a chance to right those wrongs, then, with the Ukrainians a side he will be expecting to finish ahead of in the group.

Shakhtar Donetsk Champions League form: WD
Shakhtar Donetsk form (all competitions): DWWDDW

Borussia Monchengladbach Champions League form: DD
Borussia Monchengladbach form (all competitions): WDDWDW


Team News

Mykola Matviyenko pictured for Shakhtar Donetsk in November 2019© Reuters

Castro will remain without several options for the testing battle with Gladbach, with Dentinho, Fernando and Viktor Kovalenko all out due to coronavirus.

Maksym Malyshev (knee), Ismaily (cruciate ligament) and Yevgeni Konoplianka (torn muscle) are all long-term absentees, meanwhile, but Taison and Alan Patrick should return to the starting XI having done so domestically at the weekend.

Rose is without Jordan Beyer due to coronavirus, with Denis Zakaria lacking fitness and Andreas Poulsen still out with a shoulder injury.

The Gladbach boss likes to shuffle his pack as much as possible, so Thuram should return to the side having only come off the bench in the 1-0 win against RB Leipzig at the weekend.

Shakhtar Donetsk possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Dodo, Bondar, Khocholava, Korniyenko; Maycon, Patrick, Antonio; Tete, Marlos, Solomon

Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Lainer, Ginter, Elvedi, Bensebaini; Kramer, Neuhaus; Hofmann, Stindl, Thuram; Plea


SM words green background

We say: Shakhtar Donetsk 1-2 Borussia Monchengladbach

With Shakhtar potentially still missing several key players, we expect their luck to run out against a Gladbach side full of confidence after several impressive displays recently.

Thuram could be too hot for the Ukraine side's defence to handle, but it would be no surprise to see goals fly in at either end with both teams geared towards their attacking talent.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Away:data

ID:420689: cacheID:420689:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:10914:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Borussia Monchengladbach win with a probability of 41.74%. A win for Shakhtar Donetsk had a probability of 30.34% and a draw had a probability of 27.9%.

The most likely scoreline for a Borussia Monchengladbach win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.48%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.37%) and 0-2 (7.99%). The likeliest Shakhtar Donetsk win was 1-0 (10.21%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.07%). The actual scoreline of 0-6 was predicted with a 0.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Borussia Monchengladbach would win this match.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on October 28, 2020
Read Next:
CL Team of the Week - Rashford, De Bruyne, Mbappe
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
QBayern651016
QCopenhagen62228
3Galatasaray61235
4Man Utd61144

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
QArsenal641113
QPSV62319
3Lens62228
4Sevilla60242

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
QReal Madrid660018
QNapoli631210
3Braga61144
4Union Berlin60242

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
QReal Sociedad633012
QInter Milan633012
3Benfica61144
4Salzburg61144

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
QAtletico642014
QLazio631210
3Feyenoord62046
4Celtic61144

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
QDortmund632111
QPSG62228
3AC Milan62228
4Newcastle61235

Group G

TeamPWDLPTS
QMan City660018
QRB Leipzig640212
3Young Boys61144
4Red Star60151

Group H

TeamPWDLPTS
QBarcelona640212
QPorto640212
3Shakhtar63039
4Antwerp61053


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!