Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona

Barcelona are perfect at the halfway point in Group H and are on the brink of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages.

Success in this competition with Xavi Hernandez at the helm has previously escaped Barca, who have been knocked out in the group phase the past two seasons before failing to make a dent in the Europa League.

However, on this occasion, the Spanish champions have taken advantage of a tame group and look set to progress as one of the eight seeded sides. Having won all three games thus far, victory on Tuesday will seal their place in the round of 16.

Shakhtar Donetsk produced a spirited display in the second half of the reverse fixture but lost 2-1. The Ukrainians harbour hopes of progressing alongside Barca into the last 16, but Porto currently boast a three-point advantage in second place.

Here’s 90min’s preview of Barcelona’s upcoming Champions League duel.

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona H2H Record (Last Five Games)

Current Form (all competitions)

The ‘hosts’ should have a full cohort of players available for Tuesday’s clash in Hamburg.

With no injuries and suspensions, Shakhtar could deploy a very similar starting XI compared to the reverse fixture two weeks ago. The Ukrainians were last in domestic action on Friday, so they’ve had plenty of rest heading into this fixture.

Shakhtar Donetsk predicted lineup vs Barcelona (4-1-4-1): Riznyk; Konoplia, Bondar, Matviyenko, Rakitskiy; Stepanenko; Zubkov, Bondarenko, Sudakov, Kryskiv; Sikan.

Following their Clasico defeat, Xavi changed tack at the weekend as he deployed a back three which freed up wing-backs Joao Cancelo and Alejandro Balde. However, given Barca’s struggles in San Sebastian against Real Sociedad’s press, the Barca boss will likely revert to a 4-3-3 on Tuesday.

Pedri marked his return to action off the bench on Saturday with a 35-minute cameo, but a start is probably a game or two away yet.

Jules Kounde, Robert Lewandowksi, and Raphinha are all fit, but Frenkie de Jong and Sergi Roberto are still absent.

Barcelona predicted lineup vs Shakhtar Donetsk (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Araujo, Kounde, Balde; Gundogan, Gavi, Fermin; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Felix.

It was necessary for Barcelona to bounce back on Saturday following their Clasico defeat, but Xavi was hardly thrilled with his side’s showing against Real Sociedad despite the tough environment.

Barca’s Clasico display was their best for a while, and there’s no doubt Xavi is currently managing through a difficult period. However, they are getting healthier, and they’ve generally been convincing in Europe so far.

With Shakhtar continuing to play outside of Ukraine, Barca have little to fear on their travels and their superiority was clear in the reverse fixture despite the eventual tight scoreline.

Prediction: Shakhtar Donetsk 0-2 Barcelona

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