Shakhtar Donetsk will welcome Primeira Liga side Porto to Volksparkstadion on Tuesday for a Group H matchday one clash in the UEFA Champions League, with kickoff slated for 19:00 GMT.
Key Highlights
Shakhtar’s Unbeaten Start to the Ukrainian Premier League
Shakhtar Donetsk are unbeaten in their opening six rounds of fixtures in the Ukrainian Premier League. They have won four times and drawn twice. They have scored 14 goals and conceded seven times.
Their unbeaten run of form has seen Shakhtar Donetsk haul 14 points from the available 18, and sit at the top of the table, two points clear of second-placed Polissya Zhytomyr.
Shakhtar Donetsk won the two matches heading into the international break, beating Kolos 0-2 and Mynai 1-4 both away from home. In these matches, and the other four matches played heading into the international break, showed away from home playing at a high level.
The form and confidence drawn from these matches will be central to dictating how they perform when they entertain Porto on Tuesday. The focus will be to play positively and on the front foot. This will allow away from home to create chances and put the Portuguese side under pressure.
Porto’s Flying Start in Bid to Regain their Primeira Liga Title
Porto are unbeaten after five matches in the Primeira Liga. They have won four times and drawn just once. They have scored eight times and conceded four goals in the process. They have collected 13 points and sit atop the league table, three points clear of Boavista and Sporting below them, albeit each with a match in hand.
Bet herePorto have kept just one clean sheet in their five matches in the Primeira Liga. This fact will worry manager Sérgio Conceição ahead of facing Shakhtar and beyond. They have scored eight times so far, which is below Boavista (10), Benfica (11), and Braga (9).
Sérgio Conceição will look to get his side to play in a flowing, front-foot, and fluid manner to optimize their ability to create and convert chances in the final third.
Playing away to Shakhtar will require Porto to be tactically mature and disciplined against a good attacking side. They will need to manage the game, control the tempo, and ensure that they can create chances either on the break or through quick build-up play from the back.
Injury Report
Shakhtar
Heading into the home clash against Porto, Shakhtar will be without the services of a few of the matchday squad players.
Some of the absentees include center-forward Lassina Traore (tendon), center-back Valery Bondar (collarbone), attacking midfielder Ole Ocheretko (unknown), and center-back Mykola Matvienko (Achilles).
Porto
Sérgio Conceição will have to contend without the services of right winger Gabriel Veron (abductor muscle), defensive midfielder Marko Grujic (unknown injury), and right winger Francisco Conceição (muscle injury).
Possible Lineups
Shakhtar
D. Riznyk; Y. Konoplya, E, Kozik, M. Matviyenko, I. Azarovi; O. Zubkov, Y. Nazaryana, T. Stepanenko, D. Kryskiv, O. Kashchuk; D. Sikan.
Porto
D. Costa, I. Marcano, D. Carmo, Pepe; Galeno, I. Jaime, A. Varela, A. Franco, G. Borges; Evanilson, F. Navarro.
Prediction
Shakhtar will look for a fast start to their game. They will build play from the back, allowing the center-backs to draw a press onto them before moving the ball into midfield or launching attacks with a long pass.
Shakhtar will press and play at a high tempo as they look to get the home supporters onboard and create a good atmosphere.
Porto will look to be compact and solid in their approach. They will employ a medium press and look to win the ball back and launch transition attacks.
Shakhtar and Porto will fight to a draw and share the points in this Group H opener.
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