Aberdeen take on the visitors Shakhtar Donetsk in the round 1 match of UEFA Conference League group stage.The match will be played on Thursday, October 2nd at Pittodrie Stadium (Aberdeen).
Aberdeen are a fairly solid football side from Scotland. Of course, the heights of the 1980s are long gone, but the club has managed to stay stable in the second tier of domestic contenders. Last season, they finished relatively low, in fifth place, but at the same time won the national cup, beating Celtic in the final on penalties — their first such title in 35 years, and their first trophy since lifting the League Cup in 2014. However, after the summer break, the team struggled badly, going a long time without even scoring a goal in the league, let alone winning. Their only bright moment came in the League Cup when they thrashed Greenock Morton in the summer, but even then they were eliminated in the next round at home by Motherwell. In the Europa League, things went no better — they lost at the first hurdle to a modest FCSB, drawing 2-2 at home and collapsing 0-3 in Bucharest. Their lack of cutting edge in attack remains a huge concern, with just two goals in their first five league matches. Pressure is already mounting on the manager, as supporters fear another season of mediocrity.
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Shakhtar Donetsk almost lost the right to play even here. The Orange-and-Blacks had a disastrous last campaign. Not only did they fail to retain their league title, but for the first time in a quarter of a century, they dropped to third place. Although they managed to win the domestic cup, a coaching change was inevitable, and Arda Turan was brought in. So far, he has left a mixed impression, especially with his side’s performances in European competition. In Europa League qualifying, the Miners began brightly, brushing aside Ilves from Finland and then even overcoming a much stronger opponent in Besiktas. Overall, the Ukrainian Brazilians looked no worse than Panathinaikos, but both games ended in goalless draws, and the Greeks advanced after penalties. Then against Servette, Shakhtar failed to win at home and even conceded first in Switzerland, but they forced extra time and scored a decisive goal in the 113th minute. After that, however, they let Sudakov leave, which weakened their creative play in midfield. Despite that, their domestic form has been steadier than last season, and the defense has looked tighter with three clean sheets in their last four games.
The clubs will be meeting each other for the first time. The visitors clearly look stronger. We will take the risk and back their victory.
Prediction for the match: Shakhtar to win.
