Shakhtar Donetsk-Rennes is a match in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 play-offs, played on Thursday at 18:45: predictions.
Shakhtar Donetsk’s last official engagement was last November, just days after the conclusion of the group stage of the European cups. The Ukrainian league, like every year, goes into hibernation during the coldest months of winter. And from January onwards, Igor Jovicevic’s orange players have only played friendly matches.
The team will start playing in earnest again in the Europa League, in the play-off against Rennes for a place in the round of 16, as play will only resume in Ukraine at the end of February. There are therefore many unknowns related to the state of Shakhtar’s form, which in the meantime had to say goodbye to its jewel, Mykhaylo Mudryk, who ended up at Chelsea for around 100 million euros during the January market. A sum that the club could not possibly refuse, but which at the same time deprives the Croatian coach of the most talented player in the squad, the one who scored the most goals (ten between the league and Champions League) and provided the most assists. Despite the large sum cashed in, no replacement has arrived who is up to the task: the only major offensive options remain Burkinabe striker Lassina Traoré and Ukrainian Zubkov.
Shakhtar have lost Mudryk
Shakhtar Donetsk’s big-eared cup adventure was not particularly successful, but their third place finish behind the unreachable Real Madrid and Leipzig limited the damage somewhat
A celebration by the Rennes players
In the league, the Orange are second, forced to chase Dnipro-1, who have five more points. Bruno Genesio’s Rennes, on the other hand, find themselves in the play-offs after finishing behind Fenerbahçe in the standings: in the direct clashes with the Turks, they did not go beyond two draws in the first leg and the return leg, being caught up in both games. A pity, as they were also undefeated. Things are not going so well in the league, despite the prestigious victory against Psg: in the last four days the Bretons have suffered three defeats, showing a worrying defensive involution, as demonstrated by the six goals conceded between Lille and Toulouse.
The Prediction
The fact that Shakhtar Donetsk have lost a player like Mudryk and have not played in an official match for over three months makes us lean towards the visitors. They may be inconsistent in Ligue 1, but they have many players who can make the difference in matches like this. A positive Rennes result cannot be ruled out.
The likely line-ups for Shakhtar Donetsk v Rennes
- SHAKHTAR DONETSK (4-2-3-1): Trubin; Konoplia, Matviyenko, Bondar, Mykhaylichenko; Sudakov, Stepanenko; Zubkov, Bondarenko, Petryak; Traoré.
- RENNES (4-3-3): Mandanda; Spence, Rodon, Theate, Truffert; Bourigeaud, Tait, Santamaria; Gouiri, Kalimuendo, Toko Ekambi.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
