Shakhtar has serious ambitions in Europa League, and the Miners want to go for the trophy. That was at least what they say before this match. Eintracht is still unaware of their real possibilities, and they continue to move the projected limits set in front of them. At the moment they are fifth in the Bundesliga, with solid chances of reaching top 4 and a Champions League place. This is going to be one exciting matchup to watch, with lots of goals, and offensive football on both sides. The Ukrainian team is a slight favorite, mainly because of their experience.
Shakhtar plays its games in Kharkiv because of the troublesome situation in Eastern Ukraine. They came up short two points in their group to finish second and advance to the Champions League stage. In the last round, Lyon managed to stay unbeaten in Kharkiv and eliminate the Miners, who played solid football and didn’t lose except against City twice. Eintracht was more than convincing in their EL assembly. With all 6 wins, they dominated in every single game trashing clubs like Lazio, Marseille, and Apollon.
Really, the Ukrainian powerhouse performed very well in their Champions League stint, allowing two defeats against Guardiola’s boys and not being outplayed in any other event. To be honest, in some situations, they didn’t have enough luck on their side, and some unreal misses cost them a lot. The Miners are also coming into their eliminations without a single competitive match since the New Year, but they had several games while preparing for the second part of the championship in Turkey. Coach Paulo Fonseca knows his job very well, and the Portuguese created one flexible team with the ability to adjust to any opponent. The majority of Shakhtar’s matches at home this season ended with three or more goals, and all but the last one against Lyon in the UCL saw over 2.5 goals.
The Eagles are entering this match, with only one loss in the last six games, but the previous three finished with a draw. However, two of them came away from home, versus solid teams, Werder and RB Leipzig, while one at home was against the leaders Dortmund. The Germans were one of two teams which finished the group stage of Europa League with all six wins. Their goal difference was 17:5, and against opponents like the ones they had, that is a tremendous success. Five of those contests saw over 2.5 scores.
Oleksiy Shevchenko, Valerii Bondarenko, and Dentinho are all doubtful, while Ivan Ordets would be available according to some sources. Marc Stendera and David Abraham are questionable, Almamy Toure is ineligible, while Timothy Chandler and De Souza should be ready to play after a long time. However, it is most likely that these two aren’t going to be taken to Ukraine.
Back in 1980, these two sides participated in UEFA Cup, in the second round. They split one win apiece, but Eintracht advanced to the next round because they won 3:0, losing the first leg in Ukraine, 0:1.
Shakhtar is the favorite here. The Miner’s win is at 2.20. A draw is 3.40, while Eintracht’s victory is 3.20, with a tendency to go up.
These two teams have a similar football philosophy, which relies upon constant offense. Seeing three or more goals in their matches is a regular thing, which is why we simply have to propose that bet. Thought the odds are not very high, the risk is almost minimal in this case, and you should go for it. For the ones who want higher odds and are willing to accept more risk, over 1,5 goals in the second halftime should be good. Shakhtar is our pick for the winner of the encounter, because of their experience in games like this one. Unlike the players from Frankfurt, they play these games every year and have some routine while doing it. We are wrapping it up, Shakhtar Donetsk – Eintracht Frankfurt 2:1.