Ilves take on the visitors Shakhtar Donetsk in the second leg of UEFA Europa League Qualification round of 1/8-finals. First leg result: 0-6. The match will be played on Thursday, July 17th at Tammelan Stadion (Tampere).
Ilves approached European qualification in solid form. The Lynxes are not considered among the historical giants of Finnish football. Yes, they have one league title to their name, but that came way back in 1983 and hasn’t been replicated since. In the 2024 Veikkausliiga campaign, however, they came surprisingly close to ending that long wait. They were the main contenders to KuPS in the final stage of the season. Yet the more experienced side from Kuopio collected slightly more points and secured the gold. This season, the title race is just as intense, with Ilves in close competition with both KuPS and Inter Turku. European fixtures could be the deciding factor in how these clubs manage their domestic momentum over the summer.
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Shakhtar Donetsk have dominated Ukrainian football for most of the past two decades. With continued investment in talent — including the retention of key players like Sudakov and a stream of quality signings — expectations remained high. Yet last season ended in disappointment, as they only managed to finish third in the UPL, even behind Oleksandriya. A small consolation came with their dramatic penalty shootout win over Dynamo Kyiv in the Ukrainian Cup final. As anticipated, the club appointed a new head coach — Turkish legend Arda Turan — though his managerial experience has been limited to second-tier football with Eyüpspor. His debut could hardly have gone better: after a rocky start, Shakhtar exploded to a 6-0 win in Slovenia in what was technically their home leg.
Last week marked the first-ever meeting between the Miners and their opponents from Tampere. The Ukrainian side effectively sealed the tie in the first leg — but thanks to their superior quality, they should still cover the -1 handicap in Finland.
Prediction for the match: Shakhtar Donetsk to win with -1.0 handicap.
