Borussia Dortmund will hope to qualify automatically for the Champions League round of 16 when they welcome Shakhtar Donetsk to Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday.
Dortmund are 14th with 12 points and have qualified for the playoffs at minimum despite their 2-1 loss against Bologna on January 21, whereas their opponents are in 27th place with seven points and have a slim chance of qualifying for the round of 16 playoffs.
Match preview
© Imago
BVB's defeat against Bologna – a match in which they only produced 0.2 xG and surrendered their one-goal lead when they conceded twice between the 71st and 72nd minutes – proved to be Nuri Sahin's final game as boss.
Dortmund are six places and one point from the final automatic qualification spot for the round of 16, but while they need results to go their way in the upcoming final matchweek, they do have better goal difference than the six teams above them.
Only Barcelona have scored more than BVB's 19 goals in the Champions League, though they have conceded five goals in their last two games in Europe and have shipped 13 in their past five matches in all competitions.
Caretaker manager Mike Tullberg took charge of the side on Saturday against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga, overseeing a spirited 2-2 draw after his team were reduced to 10 men in the 21st minute when the score was 0-0.
Tullberg's team are in dire form having lost four and drawn one of their five most recent outings, while winning one, drawing three and succumbing to defeat in their prior five.
The hosts are winless in their last five fixtures at home – drawing three and losing two – but it should be noted that their 3-2 defeat against Barcelona on December 11 was their only loss at Signal Iduna Park in their past 14 at home in the Champions League.
© Imago
Shakhtar Donetsk managed to beat Brest 2-0 in the Champions League on January 22, creating four big chances while facing none themselves.
The Miners are currently three points from 24th-placed Stuttgart, who occupy the final round of 16 playoff spot, and are in fact also three points from 21st-placed Benfica.
Head coach Marino Pusic will be concerned that his team conceded eight goals in the two European games prior to their victory against Brest, and they have only created 13 big chances in seven matches – the 24th-best record in the Champions League.
Shakhtar have been beaten in five, held to a stalemate in one and triumphed in just two of their last eight outings in the tournament, and they have also been defeated in three of their six most recent matches in all competitions.
The visitors' record on the road has been poor in the past weeks considering they have lost three of their last four away from home and have lost eight of their last 12 away fixtures in the Champions League.
- L
- D
- W
- L
- L
- W
Team News
© Imago
Dortmund's injury list is relatively small, but they will have to find solutions for the absences of midfielder Felix Nmecha and centre-back Niklas Sule.
Expect Nico Schlotterbeck to start in central defence alongside Waldemar Anton, and the duo could play behind defensive midfielder Emre Can.
Though Karim Adeyemi has been linked with moves away from the club, he is likely to appear in a front three with Serhou Guirassy and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens.
As for Shakhtar, they could start a similar XI on Wednesday to the side that beat Brest, so perhaps Valeriy Bondar and Mykola Matviyenko will partner each other in the heart of defence.
Marlon Gomes and Georgiy Sudakov are likely to be positioned as number eights to support defensive midfielder Dmytro Kryskiv.
Lassina Traore may have the opportunity to lead the line on Tuesday given attacker Eguinaldo is not scheduled to be available until the middle of February.
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Gross, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Ryerson; Beier, Can, Sabitzer; Adeyemi, Guirassy, Bynoe-Gittens
Shakhtar Donetsk possible starting lineup:
Riznyk; Tobias, Bondar, Matviyenko, Azarovi; Gomes, Kryskiv, Sudakov; Pedrinho, Traore, Kevin
We say: Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
With Dortmund's future uncertain following the dismissal of Sahin, they may not play to their full potential on Wednesday.
Additionally, Shakhtar are likely to pose a significant challenge to BVB given they have to win, and it is difficult to see the hosts coming through their clash unscathed considering they are low on confidence.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
