Feyenoord and Shakhtar Donetsk meet in Rotterdam for the second leg of their Europa League round-of-16 showdown on Thursday, with the tie finely poised at 1-1.
The Dutch side controlled large spells of the first leg but failed to make the most of their dominance, allowing Shakhtar to set up a winner-takes-all decider at De Kuip.
Match preview
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It is no exaggeration to say that Feyenoord bullied Shakhtar Donetsk throughout the first leg, as Arne Slot's men racked up 21 shots while enjoying the lion's share of possession.
Playing their home leg at Warsaw's Polish Army Stadium, Shakhtar managed a solitary shot on target last week, but the Ukrainian outfit took the lead on 79 minutes thanks to a fortuitous goal from Yaroslav Rakitskyi.
Substitute Ezequiel Bullaude spared Feyenoord's blushes when he turned in an equalising goal late on, but the visitors could – and probably should – have put the tie out of Shakhtar's reach in Poland.
Three days later, Feyenoord extended their unbeaten streak in all competitions to 19 games with a 2-1 victory over FC Volendam, securing a fifth successive Eredivisie win to maintain their three-point lead over Ajax at the summit of the Dutch top flight.
Having lost just one of their 25 league matches this season – and three of their 35 encounters across all competitions – Feyenoord will be confident of sealing the deal on Thursday.
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It would not be unfair to say that Shakhtar Donetsk can count themselves fortunate to still be in with a chance of reaching the Europa League quarter-finals, given what happened in Poland last week.
After all, it is not often that a defender converts their team's only shot on target by missing a header and sending the ball into the net via their lower back, but that is exactly how Yaroslav Rakitskyi earned his side a draw.
Shakhtar were forced to withstand wave after wave of pressure from Feyenoord in the first leg, but Igor Jovicevic's men managed to come away on level terms, albeit somewhat bruised.
The Ukrainian side head into Thursday's decider on the back of an easy 3-0 victory over Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih, meaning that Jovicevic's men now find themselves three points clear atop their domestic standings following four consecutive league wins.
When you look at the bigger picture, Shakhtar have won seven of their last 11 matches across all competitions, so they will not go down without a fight in Rotterdam.
Team News
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Feyenoord are still without first-choice goalkeeper Justin Bijlow due to a broken wrist, meaning that Timon Wellenreuther will retain his place between the posts on Thursday.
The hosts will also be without Patrik Walemark (thigh) and Quinten Timber (knee) for the second leg, as both players remain on the club's injury list.
On a brighter note, Santiago Gimenez, Orkun Kokcu and Danilo have all reached double figures for goals this season, while Dynamo Moscow loanee Sebastian Szymanski has bagged seven assists and five goals in all competitions.
Shakhtar Donetsk have been boosted by the return of key striker Maryan Shved, who came off the bench in the first leg before scoring as a substitute on Sunday.
Centre-back Mykola Matvienko is also back in action after missing the recent 7-0 thrashing of Metalist Kharkiv due to illness, so Rakitskyi – who scored in the first leg – could drop down to the bench on Thursday.
Feyenoord possible starting lineup:
Wellenreuther; Pedersen, Geertruida, Hancko, Hartman; Wieffer, Kokcu; Jahanbakhsh, Szymanski, Idrissi; Danilo
Shakhtar Donetsk possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Taylor, Matvienko, Bondar, Topalov; Stepanenko; Zubkov, Bondarenko, Sudakov, Kryskiv; Traore
We say: Feyenoord 2-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
If the first leg is anything to go by, Feyenoord should produce another dominant performance against Shakhtar Donetsk, with the Dutch side expected to reach the quarter-finals in front of the De Kuip faithful.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
