Shaktar Donetsk and RB Leipzig go head to head in the Champions League on Wednesday, with this game a must win for the hosts in order to progress to the knockout stages.
A point would prove enough to see Leipzig progress to the last 16, although they need to win to stand any chance of overtaking Real Madrid at the top of Group F.
Back-to-back 1-1 draws against Real Madrid and Celtic for Shakhtar have seen Leipzig take control of the driving seat in Group F in terms of progressing alongside holders, but Donetsk’s destiny still remains in their own hands ahead of this contest.
Having beaten Leipzig 4-1 away from home on matchday one, Igor Jovicevic will have plenty of confidence that his his side can overcome the German side once again and secure a place in the knockout rounds for the first time in five seasons.
Leipzig will be fighting tooth and nail for a spot in the knockout rounds as well, especially given that they head to Poland on a nine-game unbeaten streak across all competitions since returning from the international break.
After he was appointed as the club’s manager in early September, Marco Rose has more effectivelly instilled his methods in recent weeks after understandably inconsistent opening few weeks of his tenure, with their 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday moving them up to sixth in the Bundesliga table.
Rose’s primary aim this season will be ensuring that they qualify for next season’s Champions League, but returning to the knockout rounds will also be high on the list, alongside retaining the DFB-Pokal.
After their heavy defeat to Shakhtar at the Red Bull Arena, Leipzig would almost certainly have been needing a point against the Ukrainians on the final matchday in order to progress to the knockout stages.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs RB Leipzig head to head
These two teams have previously met on just one occasion in the Champions League on September 6, where Shakhtar Donetsk claimed a 4-1 away victory.
RB Leipzig 1-4 Shakhtar Donetsk 06/09/22
Shakhtar Donetsk latest home form
Shakhtar Donetsk have recently been on a good run of form at home, having been unbeaten in their eight most recent matches. They played out a 2-2 draw with Oleksandria in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored 10 goals and conceded five.
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-1 Celtic 14/09/22
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-1 Real Madrid 11/10/22
Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 Dinamo Kiev 16/10/22
Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 Kolos Kovalivka 19/10/22
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-2 Oleksandria 29/10/22
Shakhtar Donetsk latest away form
Shakhtar Donetsk have recently been on a relatively good run of form on the road, having lost just two of their seven most recent matches. They drew 1-1 with Celtic in their last away game in the Champions League. In their last five matches, they have scored 12 goals and conceded seven.
RB Leipzig 1-4 Shakhtar Donetsk 06/09/22
Radomiak Radom 2-0 Shakhtar Donetsk 24/09/22
FK Metalist Kharkiv 1-6 Shakhtar Donetsk 01/10/22
Real Madrid 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk 05/10/22
Celtic 1-1 Shakhtar Donetsk 25/10/22
RB Leipzig latest home form
RB Leipzig have recently been on a good run of form at home, having won each of their seven most recent matches. They managed to defeat Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored 15 goals and conceded five.
RB Leipzig 3-1 Celtic 05/10/22
RB Leipzig 3-2 Hertha Berlin 15/10/22
RB Leipzig 4-0 Hamburg 18/10/22
RB Leipzig 3-2 Real Madrid 25/10/22
RB Leipzig 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen 29/10/22
RB Leipzig latest away form
RB Leipzig have recently been on a relatively good run of form on the road, having been unbeaten in their three most recent matches. They drew 3-3 with Augsburg in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored six goals and conceded nine.
Real Madrid 2-0 RB Leipzig 14/09/22
Borussia M’gladbach 3-0 RB Leipzig 17/09/22
Mainz 1-1 RB Leipzig 08/10/22
Celtic 0-2 RB Leipzig 11/10/22
Augsburg 3-3 RB Leipzig 22/10/22
Shakhtar Donetsk news
Shakhtar Donetsk will be without Viktor Kornienko and Marian Shved due to injury in midweek, but otherwise Jovicevic appears to have a full squad to select from.
Heorhiy Sudakov, Mykola Matviyenko and Lassina Traore all came off the bench on Saturday, and will likely return to the starting lineup here.
RB Leipzig news
Leipzig will make the trip without Peter Gulasci, Mohamed Simakan, Lukas Klostermann, Yussuf Poulsen and Konrad Laimer due to injury issues.
Rose could adopt a more cautious approach than his usual attacking lineup, which means Dani Olmo and Andre Silva may have to settle for a place on the substitutes’ bench.
Prediction and Odds
Following their impressive showing in the last encounter of this fixture, we expect Shakhtar Donetsk to push their opponents all of the way in Warsaw on Wednesday.
However, gaps should open up as the hosts will be pushing for a winner, with the likes of Timo Werner and Nkunku perfectly placed to punish them.
Odds: 1 2.98 X 2.05 2 2.20
Probable outcomes
Shakhtar Donetsk 0-1 RB Leipzig
Shakhtar Donetsk 0-2 RB Leipzig
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-2 RB Leipzig
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-3 RB Leipzig
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-1 RB Leipzig
