The Ukrainian league is on winter break and Shakhtar Donetsk haven't played an official match in over a month. The chances of moving forward in the Champions League exist, but they have to deal with the big surprise of this year's edition – Brest.
Shakhtar ended the year with two consecutive losses, one of which was a tough 1-5 against Bayern Munich. It should be noted that the Ukrainians had one of the toughest schedules in the competition as they had to play Arsenal, Bayern, PSV, and Atalanta. Their only easier match was against Young Boys, and that remains their only win to date.
Advancing requires two wins in the remaining rounds and a lot of luck. First up, they have to deal with a Brest team making its Champions League debut and somehow among the favourites to progress.
The Pirates have had a tough start on the home stage, but a lack of international games in December has helped them pull ahead and move closer to the Top 6 again. Brest have won seven of their last 10 games in all competitions, but it should be noted that all three of their losses since November have been away.
How the bookies view it: Couldn't name a favourite
Bookmakers see the teams as completely evenly matched, with their odds being exactly the same. Both teams are available at 7/4, while the draw is quite low at 11/5.
Recent head-to-head: Every rivalry begins somewhere
As this is Brest's debut season in Europe, these two teams have never met in an official match. There is no record of past friendlies either, so it will be interesting to see who wins their first clash.
Players to watch: A few options and Sima is the best one
The visitors have quite a few injured players, but fortunately, Abdallah Sima is not among them. The Senegalese goalscorer continues to pile up the goals to his credit, being Brest's most efficient player in the Champions League with three goals in five games. His goals were key in the victories over Salzburg and Sturm Graz.
Probable line-ups
Shakhtar Donetsk: Riznyk, Henrique, Matviienko, Bondar, Konoplia, Kryskiv, Kevin, Sudakov, Bondarenko, Zubkov, Sikan
Brest: Bizot, Lala, Chardonnet, Ndiaye, Fernandes, Camara, Lees-Melou, Magnetti, Castillo, Ajorque, Sima
Anything else catch the eye?
Interestingly, Brest are far from being the best away team in the French league, but in the Champions League, they recorded successes over Salzburg and Sparta Prague. Shakhtar, on the other hand, have always been strong hosts, although they are now not playing their games in their own stadium because of the situation in Ukraine. Still, they beat Young Boys and managed to score against Bayern Munich.
We may see a low-scoring game, but instead, we expect the opposite. Shakhtar have no room for mistakes and we don't expect them to play safe football. They need goals and wins, which will open up more opportunities for Brest. We certainly expect goals for both teams, and the final result is hard to guess.
We are inclined to give the advantage to the visitors, because their current form is impressive, and they have already proved that they can cope with much bigger teams. The win over PSV and the draw with Bayer Leverkusen proved it.
This UEFA Champions League match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Brest will be played on Jan 22, 2025 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Shakhtar Donetsk vs Brest prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
