Shakhtar Donetsk take on the visitors Besiktas in the second leg of UEFA Europe League Qualification round of quarterfinals. First leg result: 4-2. The match will be played on Thursday, July 31st at Stadion Miejski im. Henryka Reymana (Kraków).
Shakhtar Donetsk begins a new chapter in their history. The Orange-and-Blacks simply couldn’t ignore what was their worst league finish in over a decade. In the 2024/25 season, they placed third in the Ukrainian Premier League—something generations of fans have never seen. They did manage to salvage the season with a dramatic cup final victory over Dynamo Kyiv, winning on penalties. But even before that triumph, negotiations were already underway with Arda Turan, and the Turkish legend, who impressed as a coach at Eyüpspor, was appointed to lead the Miners. His debut was emphatic: a 6-0 thrashing of Ilves in the home leg of their Europa League qualifier. However, in Finland, Shakhtar struggled with finishing and only managed a goalless draw despite dominating large portions of the match.
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Beşiktaş are considered one of Turkey’s top clubs. After a disappointing 2023/24, they brought in Giovanni van Bronckhorst as head coach and signed Ciro Immobile to lead the attack. The campaign started brightly with a convincing win over fierce rivals Galatasaray to lift the Turkish Super Cup. But inconsistent league form led to van Bronckhorst being dismissed midway through the season, and Ole Gunnar Solskjær stepped in during the winter break to stabilize things. Despite some improvements, Beşiktaş could only finish fourth in the league. Over the summer they made ambitious signings, including Kökçü, Jurásek, and Tammy Abraham—who is expected to replace Immobile after the Italian veteran’s contract was terminated. Yet even with the new arrivals, their season opener was disappointing: a 2-4 loss to Shakhtar in Istanbul that exposed continued defensive vulnerabilities. Now, in the second leg away from home, a simple win won’t be enough to turn things around.
The clubs have met three times in friendly matches. Shakhtar won twice, with the other game ending in a draw. Shakhtar have already done much of the work to secure a spot in the next round. That said, neither side is built to sit back defensively—expect a high-scoring match with over 3.0 total goals as the likely outcome.
Prediction for the match: Over 3.0 scored goals.
