After five months of waiting, the Europa League is back in action with side Shakhtar Donetsk taking on side Wolfsburg for the Europa last 16. The match schedules for Wednesday with kickoff at 4.55 pm.
Shakhtar Donetsk will be heading into the match with a 2-1 goal lead in their opening fixture. The winner of the clash will proceed to take on either Basel or Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals.
Olivier Glasner will not have another impressive season to look on in the Bundesliga. This is after the side failed to secure another Europa League qualification in the Bundesliga. The side finished seventh in the rankings with three points behind sixth-placed Hoffenheim.
The side managed to gain only four points in their last four matches in Germany’s top flight. A positive outlook for Glasner is that the players will have been well-rested. Bundesliga ended over a month ago with all players receiving a well-deserved rest ahead of the clash.
The same applies to Shakhtar Donetsk. Another boost for the side is that they have secured a Champions League slot from this season. Since the restart, the side has only dropped four points in their last 11 matches. This is despite the changes in personnel in the camp through this tumultuous season.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Wolfsburg Head to Head
Both sides have only met in the first leg of the Europa competition with Shakhtar taking home a 2-1 lead. Here is a look at their previous encounters in the league:
Home
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 Veres Rivne
Shakhtar Donetsk 4-1 Polissya Zhytomyr
Oleksandriya 2-1 Donetsk
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 Kolos
Desna 2-4 Donetsk
Away
RB Leipzig 1-1 Wolfsburg
Servette 2-1 Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg 1-1 FC Seoul
Wolfsburg 1-6 RB Leipzig
Hallescher 3-5 Wolfsburg
Shakhtar Donetsk Team News
The home side will be without the services of Ismaily, who picked up an injury. This might force Marquinhos Cipriano to fill the gap at left-back. Moraes will lead the attacking line with Antonio starting on the bench.
Wolfsburg Team News
Wout Weghorst has attracted several interests from different clubs across Europe. However, the prolific striker sets to keep his eyes on a quarterfinals finish for the side. An injury woe ahead of the match includes Kevin Mbabu, who recently tested positive for the coronavirus. Refan Steffen sets to take charge of the side after gaining favor under Glaser.
Prediction and Odds
Both sides have had enough rest in the season to prepare fully for the clash; hence we expect both sides to share spoils.
Draw
Both Teams to Score
Goals Over 2.5
