Manchester City will look to make it two Champions League away wins out of two when they travel to Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday evening. Will they continue their positive run of form?
Going into the match, Pep Guardiola’s men have won five of their last six matches across all competitions, recovering nicely from the home defeat to Lyon back in September.
With Kevin De Bruyne back in action and key players finding their best form, they would love to put a marker down in this competition, showing they can be major contenders for Champions League glory.
Ahead of the match, we’ve put together our three best bets with William Hill.
When is Shakhtar Donetsk vs Manchester City?
Competition: Uefa Champions League
Venue: Oblasny SportKomplex Metalist
Date: Tuesday, 23 October
Kick-off: 8:00 PM BST
Match preview
Manchester City head into the match knowing a win could take them top of Group F should Lyon fail to beat Nagelsmann’s Hoffenheim, but they face stern opposition in the form of Paulo Fonseca’s high-octane Shakhtar Donetsk.
The habitual Champions League side are blessed with their typically strong Brazilian contingent, with a number of South American players ready to wreak havoc on a City side that must be well prepared if they are to have any chance of containing them.
Fonseca, however, has confirmed that both Taison and Marlos – arguably Shakhtar’s two best players – will miss the game through injury. Brazilian left-back Ismaily is also a doubt.
Guardiola’s side suffered defeat in their opening Champions League match this season, faltering to Lyon on home turf, but they turned the screw against Hoffenheim a fortnight ago, beating the German outfit 2-1 despite going a goal down.
Shakhtar meanwhile sit third in the group having played out two 2-2 draws against Lyon and Hoffenheim respectively, and in truth, Fonseca’s side could have and perhaps should have won both ties.
Both matches were played at an extremely high tempo, in thanks to the attacking exploits of the aforementioned Taison and Marlos on the wings, and Guardiola knows all too well about the venom and verve of a Fonseca team, having faced – and lost – to his side in the competition last season.
This promises to be a highly entertaining match between two very attack-minded sides.
Where can I watch live?
Manchester City’s game against Shakhtar Donetsk can be viewed by UK residents on BT Sport 3, channel 417 on Sky, and channels 533 and 529 (HD) for Virgin Media users. BT Sport subscribers can also watch the game on their website and on the BT Sport mobile app.
The game is also available to watch on fuboTV.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about fuboTV
Head-to-head
These two clubs have only previously met twice, with both fixtures coming in the Champions League group stage this time last year.
Man City were triumphant in the first meeting on home soil, before losing 2-1 in the reverse fixture, though Guardiola fielded a weakened side given City had already secured qualification from the group.
Manchester City wins: 1 Draws: 0 Shakhtar Donetsk wins: 1
Team news
Big news for Manchester City fans as Kevin De Bruyne was named in Guardiola’s squad for the upcoming clash in Ukraine; the Belgian had been out of action for two months but made a fleeting appearance during the 5-0 mauling against Burnley on the weekend and could get more minutes on Tuesday.
Fabian Delph, Ilkay Gundogan and Danilo are all still out injured, but Kyle Walker could return to the starting XI having missed out on Saturday’s match through a slight knock, while Claudio Bravo remains a long-term absentee for the club.
Shakhtar meanwhile have been dealt a bitter blow as talisman Taison is ruled out of the tie after he ruptured his knee ligaments at the start of the month. Brazilian compartiot Marlos has also been ruled out whilst left-back Ismaily, who scored the winning goal in last season’s 2-1 win against Manchester City, is an injury doubt.
Predicted Shakhtar Donetsk XI: Pyatov; Matviyenko, Kryvtsov, Rakitskiy, Ismaily; Marlos, Maycon, Alan Patrick, Stepanenko, Fernando; Moraes.
Predicted Manchester City XI: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Mendy; Fernandinho, B Silva, D Silva; Sterling, Sane; Aguero.
Predictions & Betting Tips
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Shakhtar vs Man City tip one: Away win & three or more goals @ 13/20
With the form Manchester City are in at the moment, we can see goals in this one. Not only is De Bruyne back in the mix, but they have Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane both replicating last season’s form whilst Riyad Mahrez looks to be proving why the club spent a club-record fee to bring him to the Etihad.
Given the supreme attacking talent they have at their disposal, Guardiola is likely to adopt a positive approach from word go against a Shakhtar side that has conceded in each of their last six Champions League home games.
The hosts do normally score too though – it’s eight home games without firing a blank in this competition, with at least two in each of them – so even though Man City will likely have the edge, it should be an entertaining contest.
Key Stat: Man City have scored four goals on three occasions in their last six Champions League away matches
Tip: Away win & three or more goals @ 13/20 with William Hill – bet here
Odds correct at time of publishing (23/10/2018, 12:30)
18+ only. Ts&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
Shakhtar vs Man City tip two: Sergio Aguero to score first @ 3/1
The visitors obviously have a large amount of young talent in their squad, but the main man in a central position going forward is still Sergio Aguero who, going into this one, has four goals in his last five matches.
The Argentina international can spearhead a positive attacking display and get the Premier League side off to the best possible start in Ukraine.
Key Stat: Sergio Aguero has scored in four of Man City’s last five Champions League away matches
Tip: Sergio Aguero to score first @ 3/1 with William Hill – bet here
Odds correct at time of publishing (23/10/2018, 12:30)
18+ only. Ts&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
Shakhtar vs Man City tip three: Man City to win first half, second half to be drawn @ 9/2
This is a contest we can see Man City doing the damage in the opening 45 minutes, before the home side grow in confidence and become more competitive after the break.
Shakhtar have made a habit of conceding early goals in the Champions League – they were 2-0 down before recovering for a point in their opening home game of the current campaign, for example.
Key Stat: Man City have been winning at HT in three of their last five Champions League away games
Tip: Man City to win first half, second half to be drawn @ 9/2 with William Hill – bet here
Odds correct at time of publishing (23/10/2018, 12:30)
18+ only. Ts&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
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