Bologna-Shakhtar Donetsk is a match valid for the first day of the Champions League and is played on Wednesday at 18:45: live TV, likely lineups, prediction.
Sixty years later, Bologna returns to play in the continent’s top football competition. The right reward for a fantastic year like last year, in which the Rossoblù went far beyond what were the expectations at the beginning of the season, reaching a historic fifth place. The Emiliani, however, have changed quite a bit since the Motta management: the Italobrazilian coach now sits on the Juventus bench and there are no longer Calafiori and Zirkzee, two of the main protagonists of the extraordinary ride.
In place of the current Juventus coach came Vincenzo Italiano, who in the last two seasons of European triumphs came close to two with Fiorentina, losing two consecutive Conference League finals.
The Sicilian-born coach has a daunting task ahead of him, and that is to try not to make his predecessor regret it. For now, things are not going well: in four days of the championship, Bologna has collected only 3 points (three draws and one defeat) and last Saturday it took a big risk in the away match in Como, in which it was forced to cancel a double disadvantage (2-2) in the last quarter of an hour of play. Mistakes that in the Champions League the Felsinei could pay dearly: the draw has been lenient – the only challenges on paper impossible are those with Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund – but, at the moment, the lack of experience at these levels could make everything more difficult and complicated.
Bologna, watch out for Sikan
If the goal is to be among the top 24 in the single group, Bologna cannot miss home matches like the one with Shakhtar Donetsk, a team more accustomed to these stages anyway.
The Ukrainians may not be what they were a few years ago – the war has forced the club to downsize a bit – but they cannot be taken lightly. Led by Dutchman Marino Pusic, they have had a mixed performance in the league so far, collecting 9 points in 5 games. Shakhtar’s jewel is 2002 class Sudakov but up front Bologna will have to watch out for Sikan, who has already scored 3 goals this season. At home Bologna, the only absentees are Ferguson, Cambiaghi and El Azzouzi. Castro should play in attack.
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The Prediction
The bookmakers’ odds are perhaps too skewed toward Bologna, who have not started the season well and may pay for their lack of experience at this level. Let’s assume a match of at least one goal on each side – Italiano’s men have never managed to keep their goal unbeaten so far – and it is not out of the question that Shakhtar Donetsk will at least manage to avoid defeat.
The probable lineups of Bologna-Shakhtar Donetsk
BOLOGNA (4-2-3-1): Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Lucumì, Miranda; Aebischer, Freuler; Orsolini, Fabbian, Ndoye; Castro.
SHAKHTAR DONETSK (4-3-3): Riznyk; Konoplya, Bondar, Matvienko, Azarov; Bondarenko, Stepanenko, Sudakov; Pedrinho, Sikan, Kevin.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
