Shakhtar Donetsk vs Antwerp Prediction | Champions League Picks
Sopa Images/Getty. Pictured: Mykola Matviyenko.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Antwerp Odds
| Shakhtar Donetsk Odds | +105 |
| Antwerp Odds | +260 |
| Draw | +250 |
| Over / Under | 2.5 -118 / -106 |
Shakhtar Donetsk will take on Antwerp on Tuesday night in a UEFA Champions League showdown.
The Miners still have a shot at advancing to the knockout rounds after their impressive victory over Barcelona in their latest UCL outing. The Ukrainian side currently sit third in Group H with six points. They are three points behind group leaders Barcelona and Porto FC; the two will also play each other on Tuesday.
The Reds, on the other hand, are mathematically eliminated from reaching the round of 16. The Belgian side have zero points from four matches. However, they still have a small chance of securing the third spot and earning a place in the Europa League.
Read on for my Shakhtar Donetsk vs Antwerp prediction.
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Shakhtar Donetsk
Beating a team like Barcelona at home would usually boost a team's confidence and increase their form in future games. However, for Manager Marino Pusic's side, it had the opposite effect. Shakhtar followed up their win with a 3-1 loss in their domestic league and then recorded a 0-0 draw in their latest outing on Friday.
Shakhtar should regain all their motivation under the bright lights of the Champions League on Tuesday, though. They are in a spot to reach the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign and have already beaten Royal Antwerp 3-2 in the reverse fixture. And, if Pusic can get his team back to the level they played against Barcelona, this could turn into a rout.
The Miners were extremely disciplined on defense, allowing just one shot on target in a match where Robert Lewandoski played the full 90 minutes. It was their first shutout in this year's competition.
Offensively, they got the job done, but they could have removed much of their end-game stress if they were able to tuck away quality chances. Shakhtar recorded four big chances missed against the La Liga Champions, meaning they couldn't convert an opportunity in front of the goal where there was low to moderate pressure on the shooter with a clear path at goal. They will expect themselves to be picking the ball out of the back of the net if they are to see similar chances on Tuesday.
Antwerp
It has been a tough introduction for manager Mark van Bommel's side in their first-ever Champions League appearance. Not only have they lost every group stage match thus far, but they have conceded 14 goals in the process while scoring just three of their own.
However, on the bright side, Royal's performance outside of the Champions League has rounded into form. They are unbeaten in their last three domestic league and have four wins in their six games in November.
For the Reds to be able to transfer their league performance into the Champions League, they will need to learn how to defend the faster pace of the tougher competition in Europe and hope that their 18-year-old wonderkid Arthur Vermeeren can mature in front of our eyes and be the best player on the pitch. He is being scouted by many of the top clubs in Europe.
That is far easier said than done, though, as Royal's 14 goals conceded is the most by any team in the competitions, and they have won just one away match in their last seven matches in all competitions.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Antwerp
Prediction
These are both young teams. Antwerp's starting 11 has an average age of 23.1 years, while Shakhtar have an average age of 24.9 years. That said, defensive lapses and silly offensive decisions are more likely to occur in the game, increasing the overall variance in the match.
However, even with that being the case, Shakhtar have already shown they are a better side than Royal once in this competition and will have even more this round motivation given the path they have in front of them to advance to the knockout rounds.
Moreover, Antwerp have been horrendous on the road this year. And even though this is not a true home game for Shakhtar, given that they are still not playing in their home stadium and country due to the ongoing war, they are playing in the same stadium that they were in when they defeated Barcelona.
Back Shakhtar Donetsk on the moneyline at plus-money odds.
Pick: Shakhtar Donetsk ML (+108 via BetRivers)
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