Shakhtar Donetsk - FC Porto Tip 19-09-2023

The UEFA Champions League is back in our lives this week as we get ready for the group stage of the competition. Thirty-two of the biggest and best clubs from across Europe will come together in an attempt to make their push for a place in next year’s final in London. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be a fun encounter between Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Porto.

The nation of Ukraine, as a whole, has been through a whole lot more than just football troubles across the last few years - and that much is obvious. Shakhtar Donetsk, as we know, is one of the stand-out clubs within the country. They’ll be hungry to prove a point here and even though they’re often positioned as underdogs, we wouldn’t put it past them to spring a surprise or two.

The one thing Shakhtar need coming into the Champions League is domestic consistency and in recent weeks, that’s what they’ve had. Outside of a 3-3 draw with Kryvbas KR, they’ve won four of their last five, and they’ve done so in their typically wild style.

It’s been almost twenty years since FC Porto’s remarkable Champions League success under Jose Mourinho and, for many, they aren’t expected to repeat that triumph anytime soon - if ever. Alas, they do always seem to do fairly well when looking at the competition as a whole, which is why they’re always a dangerous prospect to take on in the group stage.

To kickstart the new season, Porto put together three straight 2-1 victories over Moreirense, Farense and Rio Ave. They were then held 1-1 by Arouca at home, before bouncing back nicely with a solid 1-0 win away at Estrela.

There’s something to be said for trepidation at this level, especially when entering the first game of the group stage. There’s never an easy game for teams like this to get things underway and this is going to be a real battle of attrition, which is why we’re favouring a draw.