Shakhtar Donetsk vs Antwerp

Shakhtar Donetsk’s Champions League campaign is on the line as they entertain Group H whipping boys Antwerp at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg.

Shakhtar Donetsk’s bid to advance into the Champions League knockouts for the first time since 2017/18 received a massive boost in the last round as they squeaked past Barcelona 1-0 to reduce the gap on runners-up Porto to three points. With Porto and Barcelona facing each other in the other Group H game, the Ukrainians can take the qualification battle to the final matchday if they can overcome an underwhelming two-game winless run (D1, L1). The ‘Miners’ have fared exceptionally against Belgian clubs throughout history, racking up an eye-catching 93% unbeaten ratio across their 15 encounters against Jupiler Pro League adversaries (W9, D5, L1). Shakhtar performed a sensational second-half comeback in the reverse fixture against Antwerp, overhauling a 2-0 halftime deficit to win 3-2 on the road.

That was the closest Antwerp came to picking up their first-ever points in the Champions League, as they’ve lost their three remaining Group H contests via multi-goal margins. Mark van Bommel’s men lament the worst defensive record in Europe’s most prestigious competition this season, having conceded a whopping 14 goals in the first four rounds. That’s not to mention they’ve lost both Group H matches away from home by 2+ goals ‘to nil,’ conceding on either side of halftime on both occasions. Indeed, scoring has been an issue for the Belgians, as they’ve only netted three goals in four Champions League outings. Looking at Antwerp’s disappointing seven-game form on hostile turf (W1, D2, L4), it’s unfathomable how they won the Jupiler Pro League, Belgian Cup, and Belgian Super Cup in the past few months.