Shakktar Donetsk and FC Porto begin their UEFA Champions League campaign with a Group H clash on Tuesday. Shakhtar play their home games in Germany and this could prove favourable to Porto, who are expected to claim the upper hand here.
Shakhtar Donetsk have become proper regulars in the Champions League having reach the group stage of the competition in each of the last six seasons. Their recent performances in the competition meant they did not go through the qualifiers this year and progressed directly to the main draw.
The Ukrainian giants are looking sharp at the start of the season and are yet to taste defeat after seven matches in the Premier League. Patrick van Leeuwen’s men have claimed five wins in that run, including a 1-0 victory over Obolon Kyiv last Saturday.
Shakhtar Donetsk may be regulars in the Champions League but their recent record in the competition has been poor. They have failed to progress to the knockout phase in the last five attempts and claimed just one win in last season’s edition.
FC Porto are former winners of the Champions League having lifted the title back in 2004. However, they have failed to hit those heights in recent years but reached the round of 16 in last year’s competition.
Like Shakhtar, Porto have made a fine start to the season and are setting the early pace in the Primeira Liga. They have claimed four wins and a draw in their last five matches and picked up a 1-0 victory over Estrela in their previous fixture last Saturday.
FC Porto have won their last four group stage matches in the Champions League and will head into Tuesday’s clash with confidence. Sergio Conceicao’s men have won in some tricky places with a 3-0 victory at Bayer Leverkusen and a 4-0 win at Club Brugge among their results in that run.
How the bookies view it
FC Porto have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 4/5 by William Hill to claim the win. A victory for Shakhtar Donetsk is valued at 7/2 by BoyleSports while a draw is set at odds of 29/10 by William Hill.
Head to head
FC Porto have never lost to Shakhtar Donetsk with two wins and as many draws in four previous matches. Both teams met during the group stage of the 2014-15 Champions League with the two fixtures ending in draws.
Players to watch
Danylo Sikan often features in attack for Shakhtar Donetsk and could be worth keeping an eye on in Tuesday’s clash. The forward is priced at 10/3 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Mehdi Taremi was one of the stars of FC Porto’s Champions League campaign last season, scoring five goals in six group stage matches. The striker will be the one to watch and is priced at 15/8 by bet365 to find the net.
Anything else catch the eye?
Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto have plenty of attacking quality and both teams could be backed to score at 4/6 by Unibet. Over 2.5 goals could also be on the cards at 8/11 with bet365 while over 3.5 goals could also be considered at 17/10 with 10bet.
FC Porto have a slightly more prolific attack and can be backed to score in both halves at 13/8 by bet365.
This UEFA Champions League match between Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Porto will be played on Sep 19, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Shakhtar Donetsk vs FC Porto prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
