Shakhtar Donetsk vs Real Madrid

Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid will trade tackles in a must-win UEFA Champions League Group D encounter at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium.

After slumping to a 2-0 away defeat to the Champions League debutants Sherrif Tiraspol on Matchday 1, Shakhtar held Inter Milan to a scoreless home draw to keep their hopes of progressing to the competition’s knock-outs for the first time since 2017/18. The Ukrainians will be desperate to emulate their last season’s showings against Real Madrid that saw them beat this opposition in both group stage H2Hs in 2020/21 by an aggregate score of 5-2. Despite their eye-catching H2H exploits last season, the ‘Miners’ lament a disastrous overall European record versus Spanish opponents (GP27 – W7, D6, L14). A victory here would require Roberto De Zerbi’s side to snap a three-game goalless run in the Champions League (D2, L1), as they head into proceedings as the team to have produced more shots on goal without scoring (32) than any other club in the competition this term.

In the meantime, Real Madrid followed up a hard-fought 1-0 away win over Inter Milan in their Group D opener with a humiliating 2-1 home defeat to Sheriff, meaning they have no margin for error here. ‘Los Blancos’ manager Carlo Ancelotti hasn’t lost back-to-back Champions League matches since April 2017, during his time at Bayern Munich, and would like to avoid that scenario against a side he has beaten in all four Champions League H2Hs as a manager. Curiously, though, the abovementioned victory at Inter gives Madrid an opportunity to post two straight away triumphs at the beginning of a new Champions League campaign for this first time since 2014/15. However, ‘Los Merengues’ have not enjoyed their recent trips to Eastern Europe, picking up just two wins from their last seven visits to Ukraine (D4, L1).