MX23RW : Thursday, April 25 06:03:48| >> :600:654058:654058:
[monks data]
Shakhtar Donetsk
Champions League | Group Stage
Nov 25, 2014 at 7.45pm UK
 
Athletic Bilbao logo

0-1

FT(HT: 0-0)
San Jose (68')

Preview: Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Athletic Bilbao

Sports Mole previews the Champions League Group H match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Athletic Bilbao

Shakhtar Donetsk will be able to seal a place in the knockout stage of the Champions League if they avoid defeat to Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday evening.

The Ukrainian side are two points behind already-qualified Group H leaders Porto, and five points clear of BATE Borisov, so need just a draw from their last two matches to ensure a spot in the last 16.

The home side have the competition's top scorer this season in Luiz Adriano, with the Brazilian remarkably scoring eight goals in their last two matches.

Shakhtar have lost just three of their last 18 matches at home in this competition, although they are not playing at their Donbass Arena home this season because of the ongoing political unrest in the area, which resulted in the stadium being damaged earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao are still looking for their first win of the campaign, having secured their only point so far in a goalless draw with Shakhtar in their opening game.

The Spaniards should have Artiz Aduriz available for the match after he marked his return from a hamstring injury with a goal in the team's win over Espanyol in La Liga on Friday evening.

Carlos Gurpegi and Markel Susaeta may be rested or have a limited role on Tuesday as they would miss the final group game if they were to be shown a yellow card in this fixture.

Bilbao cannot make the knockout stages of the competition, but a win would leave them with a strong chance of dropping into the Europa League.

Shakhtar Donetsk:

Form in Champions League: WLDDWW
Form in all competitions: WWLWDW

Possible starting lineup: Pyatov, Srna, Ordets, Rakitskiy, Shevchuk, Costa, Fred, Stepanenko, Taison, Teixeira, Adriano

Athletic Bilbao:

Form in Champions League: DWDLLL
Form in all competitions: LWWLDW

Possible starting lineup: Iraizoz, De Marcos, Martinez, Laporte, Balenziaga, San Jose, Muniain, Susaeta, Aduriz, Gomez, Fernandez

Sports Mole says: 2-2


ID:189776: cacheID:189776:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4251:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Athletic Bilbao's forward Aritz Aduriz celebrates with his teammate forward Iker Muniain (L) after scoring during the UEFA Champions League play-off second leg football match Athletic Bilbao vs SSC Napoli at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao on August 27, 2
Read Next:
Bilbao through to group stages
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
QBayern651016
QCopenhagen62228
3Galatasaray61235
4Man Utd61144

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
QArsenal641113
QPSV62319
3Lens62228
4Sevilla60242

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
QReal Madrid660018
QNapoli631210
3Braga61144
4Union Berlin60242

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
QReal Sociedad633012
QInter Milan633012
3Benfica61144
4Salzburg61144

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
QAtletico642014
QLazio631210
3Feyenoord62046
4Celtic61144

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
QDortmund632111
QPSG62228
3AC Milan62228
4Newcastle61235

Group G

TeamPWDLPTS
QMan City660018
QRB Leipzig640212
3Young Boys61144
4Red Star60151

Group H

TeamPWDLPTS
QBarcelona640212
QPorto640212
3Shakhtar63039
4Antwerp61053


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!