Shakhtar Donetsk vs Brest: betting odds 22 Jan 2025

The Matchday 7 clash in the 2024/25 Champions League group stage between Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) and Brest (France) will take place on January 22 at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Brest: prediction and betting odds, statistics.

Predicted lineups for Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Brest

Shakhtar Donetsk (4-3-3): Dmytro Riznyk – Yukhym Konoplia, Valeriy Bondar, Mykola Matviyenko, Alaa Ghram – Dmytro Kryskiv, Artem Bondarenko, Heorhiy Sudakov – Oleksandr Zubkov, Eginaldo, Danylo Sikan.

Brest (4-1-2-3): Marco Bizot – Luc Zohore, Abduleye N'Diaye, Brendan Chardonnet, Kenny Lala – Edimilson Fernandes – Mahdi Camara, Hugo Magnetti – Kamory Doumbia, Ludovic Ajorque, Mama Baldé.

Shakhtar Donetsk

The Ukrainians enter the upcoming match after two consecutive Champions League defeats. First, the team lost away to PSV with a score of 2-3, and then in Gelsenkirchen to Bayern (1-5). The Miners have only one win against Young Boys (2-1) and a goalless draw with Bologna. With 4 points, Shakhtar sits in 27th place in the standings, trailing the playoff zone by four points. The team needs to win the upcoming match to keep their chances of advancing to the next round of the European competition. A draw would likely leave the club out of the top 24 in the group stage, given their significant negative goal difference (-8).

Defender Pedro Henrique Azevedo will miss the game due to suspension.

• At least three goals have been scored in 9 of Shakhtar's last 13 games in this tournament.
• The Miners have not scored in the second half in their last six Champions League matches.

Brest

The French team's debut in this European competition has been incredibly successful. After six rounds, the team is in seventh place, and a win in the upcoming match will guarantee them a playoff spot. In the group stage, the club has only lost once – to Barcelona on their turf with a score of 0-3. In the other matches of the tournament, Eric Roy's side secured 4 wins and drew with Bayer (1-1).

Defender Julien Le Cardinal will miss the match due to suspension. Midfielder Jonas Martin, along with defenders Jordan Amavi, Massadio Haidara, Bradley Locko, and Soumaïla Coulibaly, are in the club's infirmary.

• The club's players have scored in 5 of their last 6 Champions League games.
• At least one goal has been scored in the first half of all six of Brest's matches in this European competition.
• The team has not won in the second half of their last four Champions League matches (3 draws and 1 loss).

Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Brest: Match Prediction

The nominal hosts of the upcoming match have no choice but to win both remaining matches to advance to the next round of the European competition. Beating the French team is feasible despite their high position in the tournament. Eric Roy's side had a favorable schedule, facing only Bayer and Barcelona as serious opponents. The Ukrainian club is much more experienced than Brest and will be prepared for the upcoming game. I am confident the players understand that to secure three points, they need to attack from the first minutes and try to score as many goals as possible.

Shakhtar has scored in 15 of their last 19 Champions League matches, often against much stronger opponents than the French. Moreover, Brest managed to keep a clean sheet only against PSV and Salzburg in the group stage. It's also worth noting that the French team is in the lower half of the Ligue 1 table, conceding at a rate comparable to the league's bottom three.

However, I expect goals from the visitors as well, who failed to score only against Barcelona in this Champions League campaign. The Ukrainians have conceded in 19 of their last 22 games in this tournament. Therefore, my prediction is Both teams to score – yes.