🍁UEFA Champions League, KO: 17:45 Oct 2, 2024, Veltins-Arena
🆕Shakhtar Donetsk go head-to-head against Atalanta on Wednesday. Read our Predictions and Betting Tips with Match Preview, Head-to-head stats (h2h) and Team Form Analysis.
Our prediction for this Champions League match:
After dropping two points in a 1-1 draw with Veres-Rivne, Shakhtar Donetsk will look to return to winning ways when they face Atalanta at Veltins Arena. The Miners shared the spoils with Bologna in their Champions League opener and, no doubt, they would be happy with one point from Wednesday’s clash as well. Oleksandr Zubkov is widely expected to return to the starting XI, while goalkeeper Tymur Puzankov remains in the recovery room.
The Orobici, on the other hand, aim to put an end to their three-game winless run in all competitions. As Atalanta will go for a win as well, we believe that there is a big value in betting on both teams to score. All Rafael Toloi, Gianluca Scamacca, and Giorgio Scalvini are out of contention through injuries for the visiting team. In their last meeting in the elite competition, back in 2019, Atalanta defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 and yet another high-scoring affair is on the cards.
How the bookies view it: Atalanta highly fancied
Atalanta have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and priced at 3/5 by 49JILI. Shakhtar Donetsk are considered outsiders with a home win valued at 18/5 while WK777 is also offering odds of 11/4 for a draw.
Head to head: One win each
Both teams met during the group stage of the 2019-20 Champions League with Shakhtar Donetsk winning 2-1 in Italy while Atalanta claimed a 3-0 victory in Ukraine.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Atalanta Prediction
Shakhtar Donetsk and Atalanta are set to lock horns after their respective goalless draws in the opening round of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League campaign.
The two teams meet each other in the second Gameweek on Wednesday evening on the neutral venue of the VELTINS-Arena in Gelsenkirchen.
Shakhtar Donetsk were lucky to avoid a defeat on the opening day at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara despite Georgi Sudakov’s missed penalty.
Bologna were much better team on the occasion, allowing Shakhtar Donetsk no more than four attempts in the 90 minutes of action on Italian soil.
Atalanta left a much better impression in their first round clash against English heavyweights Arsenal.
La Dea controlled the happenings on the pitch throughout most of the affair and had a golden opportunity to snatch the winner but Mateo Retegui’s penalty kick was beautifully denied by David Raya.
Atalanta are now winless in three straight matches as they shared spoils with Bologna in the Italian Serie A on Saturday.
Shakhtar Donetsk also played a disappointing 1-1 stalemate away at 14th-placed Veres Rivne in the weekend’s Ukrainian Premier League action.
Marino Pusic’s men are 4th in the league standings with four wins ins even inaugural matches.
The two teams met each other five years ago in the UEFA Champions League group phase when they claimed a road win each.
Atalanta currently possess more quality in their ranks and they’ve shown a much better performance against the likes of Arsenal on the opening day of the campaign.
Shakhtar’s back line was under a huge pressure from Bologna in their opener and we do not trust them to cope with Mateo Retegui, Ademola Lookman, and company on Wednesday.
The main bet is Atalanta to win & Over 2.5 goals FT at the 2.50 odds while we also like the 2.37 odds offered for La Dea’s top scorer Mateo Retegui to score anytime on German soil.
Players to watch: Lookman to step up
Ademola Lookman has proven to be a man for the big occasion and could be worth keeping an eye on for Atalanta. The Nigerian forward has two goals in the last four matches and is priced at 7/5 by PHMACAO to find the net.
Shakhtar Donetsk will look to Danylo Sikan to provide the spark in attack having found the net three times across all competitions. The striker is priced at 3/1 by Betfred to get in the score sheet on Wednesday.
Probable line-ups
Sikan has not played since suffering a broken nose in the opening game against Bologna but could make his return on Wednesday. The striker should feature alongside Lassina Traore in attack while Valerii Bondar is set to start in defence.
Retegui was rested in Atalanta’s draw with Bologna at the weekend and should return to the starting line-up on Wednesday. Lookman is expected to retain his place in the team while Ederson should start in midfield.
Shakhtar Donetsk: Riznyk, Konoplia, Matviienko, Bondar, Henrique, Bondarenko, Krysiv, Sudakov, Traore, Pedrinho, Sikan
Atalanta: Carnesecchi, Kolasinac, Djimsiti, Toloi, Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri, De Ketelaere, Lookman, Retegui
