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An interesting situation has developed in Group B before the last two rounds: all teams retain their chances of reaching the playoffs and no one has secured their place in the table. A very difficult lineup in the quartet. In the last two rounds, “Real” won two victories and now, in the event of a third victory, it can issue an early start to the round of 16. Shakhtar have lost in the last two games and it is now very important for the Pitmen to avoid a third defeat, which could be a complete failure in this European campaign.
Champions League. Fifth round
Stadium: NSC Olimpiyskiy (Kiev)
Chief Referee: Ovidiu Hatsegan (Romania)
Shakhtar (Donetsk, Ukraine) 19:55 Real (Madrid, Spain)
The broadcast of the match on the television channels Football 1 and Football 2 can be seen in the online cinema sweet.tv
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The last games are not easy for the Kashtru sentinels, as if the victory over the Dynamo in early November had taken all their strength. Then there was a 1: 1 draw with “Alexandria”, a 0: 4 defeat for “Borussia” Mönchengladbach and a tough 1: 0 victory, snatched in the last minutes from “Dnipro-1”. Not as favorites, the Pitmen are approaching the confrontation with Real Madrid, although they have several trump cards, and the Madrid club is not in the best condition now.
Wards Zidane lost to the modest “Alavés” 1: 2 at the weekend in the Spanish Championship, before there was a 1: 4 defeat by “Valencia” and a 1: 1 draw with “Villarreal”. Unlike the examples in the Champions League, “Real” is more successful, as if betting on this tournament. There is no other way to explain two victories over Inter (2: 0 and 3: 2).
They are three points ahead of the “creamy” Donetsk team, and if they lose (the option is not so incredible), they will drop to third place. But this is from the realm of fantasy: the last time Real Madrid did not play in the Champions League playoffs in the 1996/97 season. But then the “creamy” were sixth in the championship and did not play anything in a prestigious tournament. In all the history of the Champions League, the “Real” has never had a place in the group below second.
Shakhtar played for Real Madrid in the same group in the 2016/17 Champions League. The first match in Madrid ended in failure for the Pitmen 4: 0: a hat-trick by Ronaldo and a goal by Benzema, plus the elimination of Stepanenko in the 50th minute. Then, in Lviv, it turned out to defend a more acceptable score of 3: 4, although during the match the Oranges and Blacks lost again 0: 4 – doubles by Cristiano Ronaldo and Alex Teixeira, goals by Modric, Carvajal and Dentinho.
We all remember that on October 21 of this year, Shakhtar sensationally beat Real Madrid 3-2 at home. So the “royal club” clearly underestimated the “miners”. On this occasion Zidane’s team will do everything possible for revenge, it will be collected and serious, and that is the main danger for the Pitmen.
STATISTICS
Three games were played in total;
One win for Shakhtar, two for Real
Total score – 6:10
REFERENCE COMPOSITION
Due to injuries, Luis Castro cannot count on Sergei Kryvtsov, David Khocholava, Viktor Kornienko, Bogdan Vyunnik, Ismaily, Yevgeny Konoplyanka and Maxim Malyshev. Sergio Ramos, Eden Hazard, Dani Carvajal, Federico Valverde, Alvaro Odriosola and Luca Jovic will definitely not play for the guests. The losses are roughly comparable, but we all understand that Zinedine Zidane’s selection of artists (those that remained in stock) far outnumbers the Donetsk team. The Shakhtar can only count on order, which can always surpass class, dedication and organization.
Miner: Pyatov, Dodo, Matvienko, Bondar, Cipriano, Stepanenko, Alan Patrick, Tete, Marlos, Solomon, Tyson.
Real: Courtois, Lucas, Nacho, Varane, Mendy, Modric, Kroos, Casemiro, Vázquez, Benzema, Vinicius.
FORECAST
From the first minutes, Real Madrid will start attacking in a very dangerous way, hoping to score an early goal. It is impossible to imagine Shakhtar’s game purely on defense, so we can probably expect a lot of goals scored in the match. Who will shoot who? There is a chance that teams will play in a draw (if only because there were no compromises in these rivals’ duels before and the world could theoretically adapt to them). In addition, the Pitmen must take advantage of the great problems in the defense of the Real. Forecast: tie 2: 2.
