Lech Poznan
- KKS Lech Poznan are third in Poland’s Ekstraklasa with 38 points from 24 games after a 3-0 aggregate win over KuPS.
- Lech are a little more pragmatic in the way they play and are flexible enough to play with or without the ball, moving quickly into transition and counterattacking on fast breaks and when opponents get caught in possession.
Shakhtar Donetsk
- Shakhtar Donetsk top the Ukrainian Premier League with 44 points from 19 matches.
- Shakhtar have won their last three league games without conceding.
- Arda Turan has Shakhtar playing a highly aggressive possession-first style, where they look to overload the wide channels and press at high intensities.
Head-to-Head
Shakhtar Donetsk have the edge in friendly games against Lech, winning 3-1 in January 2024, but this will be the first competitive UEFA knockout game between these two clubs.
Key Players
- Lech Poznan
- Mikael Ishak leads Lech's scoring charts and is always a threat in the box.
- He will be served up plenty of chances by Joel Pereira and Filip Jagiello, who are both adept at creating for Ishak and for Lech’s creative wide threat, Luis Palma, who can also get into the penalty area.
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Kauã Elias leads the scoring charts for Shakhtar this season and can be dangerous when he gets the ball but, more than any other player, he is the trigger for their movement.
- Young Brazilians Eguinaldo and Luca Meirelles are both capable of cutting inside and causing problems.
Betting Insights
- The odds reflect that feeling with 2.58 for either team to win and 3.3 on the draw.
- The odds are heavily favored at 1.62 for both teams to get on the board and that makes sense given both clubs have players who can score goals and have been getting them in recent European and domestic games.
Prediction
- This is really a classic possession-versus-transition battle and Shakhtar’s ability to turn it on will decide the result over two legs.
- Loud Enea Stadion will back Lech, who are in better form than their recent league results suggest, but Shakhtar are in even better form and their extra European experience should tell over the two legs.
