Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona: Champions League Match Preview, Team News, Lineups and Prediction
Shakhtar Donetsk host group leaders Barcelona on matchday 4 of the UEFA Champions League this mid-week. Both teams met on matchday 3, where the Catalans giants earned a 2-1 victory over the Ukranian side.
This time, they travel to Volksparkstadion (Stadium in Hamburg, Germany) to face Shakhtar again. Hamburger SV’s Volksparkstadion is serving as a home for Shakhtar Donetsk’s 2023/24 UCL fixtures this season.
Match Preview
After a disappointing 2-1 loss to Barcelona at the Montjuic Stadium, Shakhtar bounced back and have won two consecutive games without conceding a goal.
A 3-0 win over Ukraine’s second-tier side FC Viktoriya Mykolaivka gives them entry to the semi-finals of the Ukrainian Cup.
They also defeated Dynamo Kyiv this weekend in the Klasychne derby as Oleksandr Zubkov’s strike gave them a 1-0 win, and they now sit 3rd in the Ukrainian Premier League with one game in hand.
Barcelona are coming into this game after a tough 1-0 win against Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena. The La Liga champions were not convincing enough against them, but in the stoppage time Ronald Araujo scored the only goal to give them all three points.
Nonetheless, last weekend, they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Real Madrid in the El Classico. Gundogan gave Barca an early lead, but Jude Bellingham had other plans as he scored two goals to give all three points to Madrid.
Xavi’s side will hope to bounce back with a good performance against Shakhtar Donetsk this midweek.
Shakhtar Donetsk team news
Marino Pusic lost his first game incharge against Barcelona, but his team had played really well against them and pinned them back in the dying moments of the game.
Shakhtar Donetsk has no injury concerns as they are about to face Barca once again without any player injured or suspended.
Barcelona team news
Frenkie de Jong and Sergi Roberto are the only two players who will miss this clash. Two weeks ago, when Barcelona faced Shakhtar, many players were out for Barca back then.
Jules Kounde, Pedri, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski were all out last time due to injury, but they are all back in the squad. Moreover, Gavi was also suspended after he received a red card against FC Porto in matchday 2.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona: Predicted line-ups
Shakhtar Donetsk (4-2-3-1): Riznyk; Konoplya, Bondar, Matviyenko, Azarovi; Bondarenko, Stepanenko; Zubkov, Sudakov, Kryskiv; Sikan
Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; Gavi, Gundogan, Lopez; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Felix
Prediction
Shakhtar Donetsk 0-2 Barcelona
Despite their big win in the Klasychne derby against Dynamo Kyiv and a 3-0 victory against FC Viktoriya Mykolaivka, it will be tough to get a win against Barcelona. The La Liga giants will look to bounce back after a bad performance against Real Sociedad. Their form in the Champions League has been good, and a fourth win can be secured on matchday 4.
