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Shakhtar Donetsk and Fenerbahce Istanbul will square off in Lviv, with the hosts unable to play on their own stadium. Qualification is up for grabs in this Champions League qualifier after a 0-0 draw in the first leg.
Shakhtar may be a bit disappointed by the result in Turkey, as Mircea Lucescu’s side saw much more of the ball and generally looked to be the better team. While a draw is a great result on the road, a scoreless draw can always be very dangerous. Shakhtar has been in fine form so far this season, playing well in Turkey, winning the Supercup against strong Dynamo Kiev and winning all three league games with a 8-1 goal difference.
Unlike Shakhtar, Fenerbahce did not start the domestic season and that may be the main reason for which they were unable to do much at home. Gaining chemistry in the starting lineup and in the team with all the new signings will take time, even though we are talking about big names like Van Persie, Diego and Nani, or top quality players like Fernandao.
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Team news & lineups:
No big news for either side. Robin Van Persie will probably start this time around, after he came on as a substitute in Istanbul.
Shakhtar Donetsk: Pyatov – Srna, Ordets, Rakitskiy, Shevchuk – Marlos, Stepanenko – Fred, Taison, Teixeira – Gladkiy
Fenerbahce: Demirel – Kaldirim, Bruno Alves, Kjaer, Erkin – Nani, Topal, Souza, Diego – Van Persie, Sow
Clearly both teams have immense quality up front, but looking at the first leg, which was rather boring and taking account how much is at stake today, goals do not seem likely to come by. Shakhtar is defending brilliantly, allowing just 1 goal in 5 games this season, while the loss of Douglas Costa represents a dent in their offensive power. Fenerbahce still needs time to jell the playing relations up front with so many new signings, so they are not expected to look like Barcelona anytime soon.
I can`t see anybody taking risks here, conceding a goal would virtually represent a disaster, particularly for Shakhtar. I expect both teams to rely more on defense, just like they did in the first leg, so my tip will be on the under / over market – specifically on under 2,5 goals to be scored. Prediction: Shakhtar Donetsk – Fenerbahce 1-0.
Pick: under 2,5 goals
Odds: 1.80 @ Sbobet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 6.40
Event date: 5 August
