Manchester City vs Shakhtar Donetsk 27/11/19

27 November 2019

Manchester City will be looking to maintain a 100% home record against Shakhtar Donetsk when the two sides lock horns at the Etihad Stadium in the penultimate UEFA Champions League (CL) Group C match this week.

Although a 1-1 away draw with Atalanta last time out halted City’s three-game group winning streak, the hosts are still one step away from clinching a place in the knockout stage. Before they’ve failed to beat Atalanta, the reigning Premier League champions have scored at least two goals in four consecutive CL outings. The Citizens will be looking to post the fourth successive CL win over Shakhtar and secure progression from Group C. Notably, Pep Guardiola’s men have netted 3+ match goals in each of their previous victories of Shakhtar, shutting them out on all of those occasions. Moreover, Manchester City have not conceded a goal in five meetings with the Ukrainian visitors, picking up four wins along the way (W4, D1).

Although unbeaten in three consecutive group fixtures ahead of this trip (W1, D2), the visitors’ hopes of promotion hang by a thread, as they sit second in the standings, level on points with Dinamo Zagreb. Interestingly, all of those matches have seen both teams score, with Shakhtar netting over 1.5 goals in each. But, the Miners have experienced all sorts of problems in their last eight trips to England, losing seven times while securing just one draw. Another huge concern for Luis Casto is that his players have conceded at least two goals in five of their previous six continental trips, with a 2-1 away win over Atalanta being the only exception.