Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Europa League match.
This encounter promises to be a tactical battle, which strongly points towards a low-scoring affair.
Shakhtar Donetsk
At the start of their European campaign, Shakhtar Donetsk are looking to control possession and build up through patient, positional attacks. However, at this early stage, match sharpness and team cohesion may still be lacking. That often results in tactical issues going forward — a lack of cutting edge in the final third and difficulty in crafting clear-cut chances. Coming straight out of the off-season, Shakhtar’s squad may still be finding its rhythm. Yes, the first leg turned out to be a goal-fest, but that was more down to mutual defensive errors than polished attacking play.
Beşiktaş
Beşiktaş are known for their aggressive, albeit occasionally unbalanced style of football. Motivation is high early in the European season, but fitness and form are still far from peak. Defensively, they often suffer lapses and rely heavily on individual brilliance in attack rather than coherent patterns of play. Like Shakhtar Donetsk, their squad might still be adjusting after the summer break. Away from home, Beşiktaş tend to play more cautiously. Granted, the situation demands that they push forward, but whether they can do so effectively remains a question.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Beşiktaş Prediction
Given the early stage of the competition and the start-of-season rust, both sides are likely to focus on avoiding costly mistakes (ideally having left most of those behind in the first leg). Expect a tightly contested tactical match with few clear chances. While both teams scoring remains a statistical possibility, the likelihood of at least one clean sheet is high — especially considering that in eight of Shakhtar’s nine past European matches against Turkish opposition, the bet “Both teams to score – No” has landed.
