Barcelona vs Shakhtar Donetsk

Estadio Olímpico is the venue as Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk go head-to-head in an exciting Champions League encounter.

After back-to-back Champions League group-stage eliminations for the first time in the 21st century, Barcelona have hit the ground running in 2023/24, winning both opening Group H fixtures by an aggregate score of 6-0. Barca’s European results form part of their superb 12-match unbeaten start to the new campaign (W9, D3), bookended by a narrow 1-0 La Liga triumph over Athletic Bilbao at the weekend. Despite being deprived of Camp Nou comforts, Xavi Hernandez’s men have gone from strength to strength in home contests this season, winning all six via a combined score of 17-2, including five without conceding. Against this backdrop, the reigning Spanish champions have recently delivered a mixed bag of results on home turf in the Champions League (W3, D2, L4), casting some doubt on their bid to maintain a 100% Group H start.

On the other hand, you’d need to go back five years for the last time Shakhtar Donetsk made it out of the Champions League group stages, a feat they could achieve this term despite an indifferent two-game start (W1, L1). After a 3-1 home loss to Porto in their group opener, the Ukrainians pulled off a sensational second-half comeback against Antwerp last time out, overcoming a 2-0 halftime deficit to win 3-2 on Belgian soil. That result puts them in a position to post back-to-back Champions League victories for the first time since February 2018. However, they’ve traveled poorly in the recent Champions League group stages, picking up just two wins in their last nine such fixtures (D2, L5).