Borussia Dortmund take on the visitors Shakhtar Donetsk in the round 8 match of UEFA Champions League group stage. The match will be played on Wednesday, January 29th at Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund).
Borussia Dortmund clearly looking to save their season through the Champions League. The Black and Yellows had already shown stronger performances on the international stage last season. Despite narrowly losing the battle for 4th place in the Bundesliga to RB Leipzig, they managed to reach the Champions League final. This season, Borussia started with a refreshed squad under new head coach Nuri Şahin. However, things haven’t gone as planned domestically—they were eliminated from the DFB-Pokal as early as October and, by midwinter, their Bundesliga losses matched their wins. On the European stage, Dortmund took full advantage of matches against underdogs like Brugge, Celtic, Sturm Graz, and Dinamo Zagreb. They even scored twice against Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, though they lost both encounters. In January, they opened the scoring against Bologna but fell to a disappointing 1-2 defeat. That spineless loss led to Şahin’s dismissal. Even without a permanent head coach, Borussia squandered a 2-0 lead in their last Bundesliga match, settling for a draw.
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Shakhtar Donetsk have long established themselves as a dominant force domestically and a consistent presence in the Champions League, finishing third in their group in both 2022 and 2023. However, this season has been a letdown across the board. Shakhtar entered the Ukrainian Premier League’s winter break in third place, trailing not just Dynamo Kyiv but also Oleksandriya. Their Champions League campaign has also been underwhelming. They opened with a goalless draw in Bologna, where Sudakov missed a penalty, and their only win came against the struggling Young Boys. In Eindhoven, they looked set to secure victory, but a dramatic late collapse saw PSV snatch a comeback win. Losses to Atalanta, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich followed. After interrupting their winter training camp, Shakhtar, without the recently sold Sikan, secured a confident 2-0 "home" victory over Brest at the Veltins-Arena.
The sides last met in the 2013 Champions League knockout stage. After a draw in Donetsk, Dortmund cruised to a dominant 3-0 win at home. In 2001, Borussia also secured two wins against Shakhtar in the tournament’s qualifiers. Borussia Dortmund enters the match as heavy favorites, but this assessment may overestimate the German side’s current form and cohesion. The Ukrainian champions, with a +1.5 goal handicap, offer excellent value for bettors.
Prediction for the match: Shakhtar Donetsk to win with a +1.5 goal handicap.
