Shakhtar Donetsk take on the visitors Legia Kyiv in the round 2 match of UEFA Conference League – league phase. The match will be played on Thursday, October 23rd at Stadion Miejski im. Henryka Reymana (Kraków).
Shakhtar Donetsk finished third in the Ukrainian Premier League last season—their worst result in a quarter of a century! Unsurprisingly, despite defeating Dynamo Kyiv in the Ukrainian Cup final, Arda Turan arrived amid high expectations. And they started brightly: they crushed Ilves 6-0 in their very first match, and then confidently defeated a strong Beşiktaş in the next round, winning twice. But then various problems arose, including the sale or injury of a significant number of players. Over the past couple of months, there have been numerous setbacks, from elimination from the Europa League qualifying round (on penalties to Panathinaikos) to a 1-4 defeat in the Ukrainian Premier League to a modest LNZ. However, they managed to maintain their lead in the Premier League, and they finally made it to the main round in the Conference League, knocking out Servette in extra time, and then beating Aberdeen 3-2 in Scotland.
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Legia is hoping to break out of its protracted slump, but once again, not everything is working out. The Army Men are a historical powerhouse in Polish football. However, their 15th Ekstraklasa championship was won back in 2021, and last season brought another rather modest fifth-place finish. However, this was spiced up by victories first in the Cup and then in the Super Cup. However, in the national championship, they are again winning less than half their matches. And in the Europa League, after beating Aktobe and Baník, they then lost to AEK Larnaca, a crushing 4-1 defeat in Cyprus. And in the less prestigious Conference League, after beating Hibernian (1-2 and 3-3), they lost at home to Samsunspor in the first round, having no response to Musaba's early goal in Warsaw.
In 2006, the teams played in the Champions League qualifiers. Back then, the Orange-and-Blacks won both matches. The arena's nominal hosts are facing a ton of problems. But in European competitions, they've shown maximum determination and focus—let's believe the Miners will beat their neighbors practically on their home turf.
Prediction for the match: Shakhtar Donetsk to win.
