Real Madrid will be looking to regain some confidence after the defeat in El Clasico when they visit Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday. Cristiano Ronaldo and company are already sure of reaching the last sixteen, but they are yet to secure top spot in Group A. The only previous meeting between the two sides was earlier this season, when Real Madrid comfortably won 4-0. Ronaldo score a hat-trick then, while Karim Benzema also found the back of the net.
Shakhtar had a terrible start to their Champions League campaign as they lost three consecutive matches but they recovered with a 4-0 demolition job of Malmo last time out. They are still in with a chance to qualify but they would need two wins out of the last two matches. Mircea Lucescu's men had failed to score in the first three group matches and conceded no less than eight goals, including four against Real Madrid in the reverse fixture. They are doing well in the domestic league though, they are top of the table and have not lost at home since September. Captain Darijo Srna is suspended for the match along with defender Oleksandr Kucher. Vitali Vitsenets is unavailable through injury.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez chose to support head coach Rafael Benitez after Saturday's 4-0 home defeat against Barcelona, but any other defeats might see that relationship change. They are currently six points behind Barcelona in the Primera Liga, but they can secure top spot in Champions League Group A if they win at Shakhtar. So far Real Madrid defeated the group's smaller teams, Shakhtar and Malmo, drew at Paris Saint-Germain and then beat them 1-0 in Spain. Sergio Ramos and Marcelo will be unavailable through injury.
Probable line-ups:
Shakhtar: Pyatov - Shevchuk, Rakitskiy, Ordets, Azevedo - Fred, Stepanenko - Marlos, Teixeira, Bernard - Gladkiy
Real Madrid: Navas - Carvajal, Pepe, Varane, Danilo - Kroos, Modric - James, Bale, Ronaldo - Benzema
My prediction: Real Madrid to win 2-1.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Shakhtar win - 4.00 Draw - 3.80 Real Madrid win - 1.95
sharpe 8 years ago
Who could of thought that it will be a dramatic game in the end after the Real lead of four throe the middle of the second half. The Ukrainians have to be admired for their fighting spirit when they were 4 goals down. The future ahead of Real looks uncertain like in Spain as in CL too. Maybe some changes in the management...
Who could of thought that it will be a dramatic game in the end after the Real lead of four throe the middle of the second half. The Ukrainians have to be admired for their fighting spirit when they were 4 goals down. The future ahead of Real looks uncertain like in Spain as in CL too. Maybe some changes in the management and personal of the club are ahead so this have effect on the performances on the field too.
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BobiRobson4 8 years ago
I didnt expect any suprise here and i knew that Real will win this . The match against Malmo was good for Shakhtar but not good enough to beat Real. I was expecting 3-0 for Real , but it was 4-3 and this was good game , with a lot of goals and chances. It was great to watch. Teixeira had a nice game , Ronaldo too . All...
I didnt expect any suprise here and i knew that Real will win this . The match against Malmo was good for Shakhtar but not good enough to beat Real. I was expecting 3-0 for Real , but it was 4-3 and this was good game , with a lot of goals and chances. It was great to watch. Teixeira had a nice game , Ronaldo too . All in all i knew Real but Shakhtar would fight pretty well and match was good.
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GREGJO 8 years ago
Tonight Real Madrid have a lot to prove for their fans after the humiliating loss at the el Classico at the weekend. They are the clearly the better team here and in my opinion they have enough quality in their squad to win this match easily. Although Shakhtar are usually a difficult team to face on the road because they...
Tonight Real Madrid have a lot to prove for their fans after the humiliating loss at the el Classico at the weekend. They are the clearly the better team here and in my opinion they have enough quality in their squad to win this match easily. Although Shakhtar are usually a difficult team to face on the road because they have a lot of fans behind them and have a solid defense as well. But they have been disappointing this season scored only 4 goals but conceded 8 times. In my opinion this a very good odds for Real Madrid and hard to miss out. My correct score prediction is 0-2.
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h34dhunt3r 8 years ago
Considering that group A is already decided, and that Real Madrid had ruff match versus Barcelona, everything is possible here. On one side we got home team - Shakhtar, who was always fearsome while playing in Ukraine. On their field comes Real Madrid, not even close as scary as he used to be in past. Benitez seems like...
Considering that group A is already decided, and that Real Madrid had ruff match versus Barcelona, everything is possible here. On one side we got home team - Shakhtar, who was always fearsome while playing in Ukraine. On their field comes Real Madrid, not even close as scary as he used to be in past. Benitez seems like he doesn't know what hes doing, they won vs PSG eventho French team was better, so I guess luck is not on their side anymore. I would suggest people not to bet on this game. My predictions: - Result: 2:2 with Shakhtar leading twice; - Man of the match: Alex Teixeira
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johny78 8 years ago
Tonight i see a big surprise and my prediction for this match is that Shakhtar will win.....Real Madrid is in a bad moment and anyway is already qualified for the next stage,they only need to win the last home match against Malmo FF.
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