Besiktas take on the visitors Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of UEFA Europa League Qualification round of quarterfinals. The match will be played on Thursday, July 24th at Tupras Stadium (Istanbul).
Beşiktaş are widely recognized as part of Turkey’s traditional “big three.” Since completing the golden double in 2021, however, they’ve only managed to lift last year’s domestic cup — a partial compensation for underwhelming league results. It looked like lessons had been learned: Giovanni van Bronckhorst was appointed head coach, and star striker Ciro Immobile arrived. The season started brightly with a Super Cup triumph. But a string of disappointing results saw van Bronckhorst dismissed in 2024. Ole Gunnar Solskjær stepped in and managed some stability but still ended the season in fourth place, with no trophies added. The summer saw high-profile signings like David Jurásek, Tammy Abraham, and Orkun Kökçü join the club. However, Immobile has already returned to Italy, signing with Bologna.
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Shakhtar Donetsk are entering a new era. The Orange-and-Blacks have been a dominant force in Ukrainian football for decades. But last season was an uncharacteristic failure — not only did they lose the title to fierce rivals Dynamo Kyiv, they even finished third behind Oleksandriya. They did salvage some pride by winning the cup on penalties, beating Dynamo in the final. Still, by that time, the club had already lined up a new manager. Arda Turan's debut was electric: Shakhtar demolished Ilves 6-0 in the “home” leg. But the return match ended in a goalless draw. Although the tie was essentially settled after the first leg, the second game raised questions about Shakhtar’s attacking sharpness. Against more clinical opponents like Beşiktaş, such wastefulness could prove costly.
These sides have met three times in friendlies, most recently last year. Shakhtar won two of those matches, with one ending in a draw. The Turkish side will be eager to finally defeat the Ukrainian powerhouse. Still, the safer option is backing over 2.5 total goals.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 scored goals.
