Shakhtar Donetsk hosts Benfica in the first leg of the Europa League 1/16 finals. The match will be played on Thursday, February 20th at OSC Metalist (Kharkiv)
The Miners did a very good amount of work under the management of Castro. Having reached the 1/16 finals stage, the club has excellent chances of reaching the next stage. Shakhtar played the last official match against Zorya away (1:2). Further, we saw perseverance in test matches. And the team lost in only one out of nine meetings. Do you know what Serbian Proleter is (0:1)? If you want, look. This is the only team that Shakhtar lost to in the last three weeks. It played efficiently and did not achieve success only twice more, completing the matches in a draw. The attack of the club was tuned up for conversion and continued to be.
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Perhaps, there would be no other chance for Bruno Lage to take and become the “King of the Hill”. Portuguese Primeira is a tough championship and requires the most serious attitude. Europa League? It is played every year. The shape and desire of the current squad of the Eagles allow them to fight for the champion’s title in Portugal. The current champion of Portugal had obvious problems before the European Cup matches, and it may simply not have enough motivation. Benfica’s ambitions in the Europa League are in doubt.
Of course, Benfica is very good. The club shows good results both in attack and in defense, but the Portuguese will be deprived of support in a foreign land. The Miners, on the contrary, are as prepared as possible for the upcoming match, and the tournament stage obliges the team to do its best. And I think Shakhtar can do it. The hosts will be fresher, and they may well take advantage of the difficult schedule of Benfica.
Prediction for the match: Shakhtar Donetsk to win
