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Italian side Bologna are set to make their Champions League debut as they welcome Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk to Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Wednesday September 18th 2024: UK – 5:45pm / US ET – 12:45pm / US PT – 9:45am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports 4 / US – CBS Sports
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – discovery+ / US – Paramount+
BOLOGNA PREVIEW: SERIE A SURPRISE PACKAGE TO TACKLE EUROPE WITHOUT MOTTA
Bologna were the story of Serie A last season, finishing in fifth-place under Thiago Motta, above the likes of AS Roma and Lazio. This was enough to see them qualify for the Champions League following the change from group stage to a league phase format, which saw Italy awarded five places in this year’s competition due to their strong co-efficient.
However, it was inevitable following their unexpected success that bigger clubs would start circling over their biggest assets. Head coach Motta has since left for Juventus, whilst the likes of Riccardo Calafiori and top-scorer Joshua Zirkzee were both sold for large transfer fees. The Italians are now led by Vincenzo Italiano, but retooled in the summer with over ten players brought into the club.
SHAKHTAR DONETSK PREVIEW: CAN CHANGE OF FORMAT EQUAL CHANGE OF FORTUNE
Shakhtar Donetsk had failed to make it out of the Champions League group stage since 2018, a run of six consecutive seasons, so they’ll be hoping that the change to a league stage format for the 2024-25 campaign works in their favour when it comes to round of 16 qualification after winning their 15th Ukrainian Premier League title.
Opponents would be foolish to underestimate Shakhtar, who are notorious for taking big scalps in the Champions League. Last season saw them defeat five-time European champions Barcelona and back in 2020-21, they recorded a historic double over Real Madrid, beating the Spanish giants home and away.
BOLOGNA TEAM NEWS: CAPTAIN FERGUSON OUT LONG-TERM
Injury to mid-table Lewis Ferguson has seen him miss the start of the season and will probably miss all of Bologna's league phase campaign, a big blow to the Italians.
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Lucumi, Miranda; Aebischer, Freuler, Fabbian; Orsolini, Castro, Iling-Junior
UNAVAILABLE: Ferguson (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
SHAKHTAR DONETSK TEAM NEWS: ZUBKOV COULD START IN A FRONT THREE
After getting on the scoresheet against Karpaty Lviv this past weekend, Oleksandr Zubkov could be rewarded with a second consecutive start here, perhaps in place of Pedrinho.
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Riznyk; Konoplya, Bondar, Matvienko, Azarovi; Bondarenko, Kryskiv, Sudakov; Zubkov, Sikan, Kevin
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE:
KEY STATS
BOLOGNA VS SHAKHTAR DONETSK PREDICTION
Bologna will likely see this game as very-much winnable, at home against an opponent who have historically struggled to get through this stage of the Champions League in previous years. However, Shakhtar Donetsk are experienced campaigners in Europe and being able to handle the pressure of playing in such a competition cannot be underestimated.
Although they have yet to keep a clean sheet so far this season, Bologna have scored three times across their last two games. Combine that with Shakhtar’s tendency to find the net at least once when it comes to matches in Europe and the smart play here would be backing both teams to score, regardless of the final outcome.
BOLOGNA VS SHAKHTAR DONETSK TIP: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE