Shakhtar Donetsk vs Real Madrid predictions and match preview for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture. Read on for analysis and predicted lineups as Los Blancos target a place in the last 16.
| Date | Tuesday 11th October 2022 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | Polish Army Stadium |
| Competition | UEFA Champions League |
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Real Madrid Preview
Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid meet again this Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League. These two familiar foes clash this time in Poland with Warsaw the setting as Los Blancos aim to book their place in the last sixteen.
Victory would see Real Madrid secure qualification with two games to spare and they could even end up winning the group on Tuesday night if RB Leipzig drop points against Celtic. That would be the ideal scenario for Carlo Ancelotti and it’d allow him to really focus on the league games between now and the World Cup break whilst rotating and resting players in Europe.
The Italian may well rest some of his stars in any case here. This game comes just five days before El Clasico and he’ll want his players in peak condition for that game. However with the likes of Ferland Mendy and Toni Kroos unused substitutes in the weekend win over Getafe, Ancelotti still has some experience and quality to bring into the eleven.
Real Madrid haven’t been flying of late and they haven’t scored more than twice since their 4-1 win over Mallorca a month ago. All of their last four games have been settled by at most a single goal, yet the European champions still have an excellent overall record for the season with 11 wins and a draw from 12 competitive outings this term, very good going even by their own high standards.
As for Shakhtar Donetsk, their Champions League campaign got off to a stunning start with a 4-1 away win against RB Leipzig. They’ve since drawn against Celtic before their 2-1 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu last week. However their results have been slightly better than their performances and in truth Madrid should have scored far more than twice in the reverse meeting six days ago, with the Spanish side having 36 attempts on goal.
Shakhtar’s weekend league game was called off so they’ve not played since then. Whatever the outcome here, they will still be in contention for a place in the last 16 and they do sit 2nd heading into this matchday. Igor Jovicevic will see any kind of result as a bonus but he will know that their final two games against Leipzig and Celtic will most likely determine their European future this term.
Possible Lineups (via Sofascore)
Score Prediction: Shakhtar 1-2 Real Madrid
It’ll be interesting to see what kind of eleven Carlo Ancelotti picks here with the Clasico this weekend. That game isn’t until Sunday though so it’s more likely to be light rotation than the wholesale resting of key players. As a result, Real Madrid should have enough quality to take care of business here and book their place in the last sixteen of this competition once more.
PLEASE NOTE – Our UEFA Champions League predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish teams playing in Europe. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
