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Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk will host Dutch outfit Feyenoord at the Polish Army Stadium on Thursday in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16. Join us as we continue our Europa League odds series, where we make our Shaktar-Feyenoord prediction and pick while showing you how to watch.
The hosts faced French club Stade Rennais in the Europa League playoffs last month. A 2-1 win in the first leg via goals from Dmytro Kryskiv and Artem Bondarenko was responded to by a 2-1 output by Rennais. They managed to win 5-4 in penalties. Shakhtar placed third in Group F of the Champions League; the top two spots were taken by Real Madrid and RB Leipzig while Celtic was sent home packing.
Feyenoord, meanwhile, secured the top spot in the Group F table in the Europa League after a dramatic end to their group-stage campaign which saw all four teams finish with eight points. Feyenoord went ahead of Midtjylland, Lazio, and Sturm takes to its group-leading 13 goals.
Here are the Shakhtar-Feyenoord soccer odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Europa League Odds: Shakhtar-Feyenoord Odds
FC Shakhtar Donetsk: +230
Feyenoord Rotterdam: +115
Draw: +230
Over 2.5 Goals: -108
Under 2.5 Goals: -112
How to Watch Shakhtar vs. Feyenoord
TV: N/A
Stream: fuboTV, Paramount+, ViX, ViX+
Time: 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT
*Watch soccer LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Shakhtar Can Beat Feyenoord
At the weekend, Shakhtar Donetsk thrashed Metalist 1925 Kharkiv 7-0 and they are currently top of the Ukrainian Premier league. They are tied with 36 points with Dnipor-1 but their 40 goals and +28 goal-differential puts them on top of Ukraine's football table.
Shakhtar has now won four of their last five competitive outings. They are unbeaten in their last four home games and will hope to maximize their home advantage come Thursday. Shakhtar's last taste of defeat was against Dnipro-1 in their domestic battle. For this year, Shakhtar's only loss was in a friendly game, which came in the hands of Austria Wien.
Shakhtar faced Roma in their last appearance in the last 16 stages of the Europa League in 2021, losing the tie 5-1 on aggregate. The Miners will be hoping for better luck this time around. In the Champions League, Shakhtar tallied 7.5 total shots, 2.5 corners, and 1.3 goals per game in six games played. They have high defensive numbers of 17.7 tackles, 10.8 interceptions, 25.8 clearances, and 5.0 saves per game. Maryan Shved and Oleksandr Zubkov led the team with two goals.
Manager Igor Jovicevic will only have Shved and Mykola Matvienko as absentees. Yegor Nazryna and Dmytro Riznyk will have to take care of their fouls, as they have already three yellow cards to their name. Yaroslav Rakitskyi will continue to partner with Valeriy Bondar at center-back. Bofan Mykhaylichen and Yukhym Konoplia will take wing-back duties. Lassina Traore will spearhead the attack, while Zubkov, Artem Bondarenko, Heorhii Sudakov, and Dmytro Kryskiv will take attacking roles as well.
Why Feyenoord Can Beat Shakhtar
Feyenoord is enjoying a strong run of results in the Eredivisie at the moment and will be looking to carry that momentum onto the European stage this week. Feyenoord is on a six-game winning run and has not lost a competitive outing since October last year. De Stadionclub has performed well on the road of late and will challenge the hosts of this game.
Feyenoord currently sits on top of the Eredivisie, three points ahead of second-placed Ajax and five points over third-placers AZ Alkmaar. They are also going to the KNVB Beker Cup semi-finals, facing Ajax after making quick work of SC Heerenveen, NEC Nijmegen, and PEC Zwolle. Manager Arne Slot’s side is also looking to make an impact in Europe this season and they will feel confident that they can progress to the quarter-finals against Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Pride of South hopes to build on their astounding performance in the Europa League. In six games played, they scored 13 goals and ended with a +4 goal differential. This was enough to secure the top one in the group, ahead of Midtjylland, Lazio, and SK Sturm Graz. They are also tallying 13.2 total shots, 7.5 successful dribbles, and 4.0 corners per game. Santiago Gimenez leads the team with four goals. Alireza Jahanbakhsh, David Hancko, Sebastian Szymanski, Oussama Idrissi, and Orkun Kocu each have two goal contributions.
This will be the third and fourth time that Feyenoord clashes with Shakhtar, losing the previous two games in the Champions League in 2017. Feyenoord's 17-game unbeaten streak will be challenged in this match, but the Dutch squad hopes to extend that streak.
First-choice goalkeeper Justin Bijlow is out long-term, so Timon Wellenreuther will continue to deputize. Quinten Timber and Patrik Walemark are also out. Orkun Kökcü and Mats Wieffer will continue to anchor the midfield, with Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Oussama Idrissi flanking Santiago Gimenez in the attack.
Final Shakhtar-Feyenoord Prediction & Pick
This has the makings of an exciting game. It's hard to decide who goes ahead of this match, but Feyenoord's longer win streak and steadier performance are factors that guarantee their upset win over the hosts.
