Shakhtar Donetsk vs Inter Milan Prediction & Betting Tips - Champions League

Prediction published on 25/10/2020, 04:58  by Daniel Ngulu in Champions League Predictions

Just over two months ago Internazionale thumped Shakhtar Donetsk 5-0 in the Europa League in Germany. The two sides will renew rivalry this Tuesday in Group B of the UEFA Champions League with Shakhtar being the hosts in Kharkiv. Shakhtar had a great start to their campaign in this group, with a shock 3-2 away win at Real Madrid despite missing a big chunk of their players due to Covid-19. They went to the break leading 3-0 and though they were dominated in the second half, it is hard to fault the quality in the team. The hosts fell heavily to Inter in their last match of last season, and facing the same opponent after their impressive outing on Match Day 1 should offer enough motivation. Back at home however, they struggled to match the high standards set in Madrid, as they had to come from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Vorskla, who even had a man sent off after 53 minutes. However, they remain unbeaten in their last seven matches, three of these having ended in wins. In the nine matches they have played this season, Shakhtar have scored in all, but managed just one clean sheet. They don’t have much to brag about when it comes to the Champions League, as they have registered just four wins in their last 15 matches in the competition. Last season they managed just one win in their six group stage matches, and dropped to the Europa League after finishing third. It is there that they set up a meeting with Inter, where they lost 5-0. In earlier two meetings with Inter, the two drew 1-1 in Italy after Shakhtar had lost 2-0 at home.

Inter are unbeaten in three earlier meetings with Shakhtar and after the Match Day 1 shocker in Madrid they will want to be cautious as they face their hosts. While Shakhtar beat Real Madrid, Inter needed a 90th minute goal from Romelu Lukaku to secure a point from their game against Borussia Monchengladbach. In an action packed second half, Inter took the lead but were six minutes away from defeat after Jonas Hoffman’s 84th minute goal that gave Gladbach the lead. Lukaku would spoil the Germans’ party with his second goal of the game and seventh of Inter’s six matches this season. It is no secret that Inter have struggled at these early stages of the season; they won their opening two matches of the season but those were labored, with the team conceding five goals in the process. They went on a three-game winless run, including a loss to Milan in the derby. However, they recovered on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Genoa, which came with their first clean sheet of the season. In four of their six matches, they have conceded two goals or more and will be hoping for an improved defensive show when they tour Ukraine.