Shakhtar Donetsk will take on Basel in the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Tuesday night, with both sides eyeing a spot in the semi-finals of the competition.
The one-off game will be held at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, and the winner will take on either Inter Milan or Bayer Leverkusen in the final four on August 16.
Match preview
Shakhtar booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the competition courtesy of a 3-0 win over Wolfsburg in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday night. The Ukrainian side already had a 2-1 advantage from the first leg in Germany and therefore breezed into the final eight with a 5-1 aggregate success.
Hirnyky are 13-time Ukrainian champions and actually won the 2019-20 title by 23 points, which is an indication of their dominance. They have not lost a single game in any competition since March 15 and will therefore bring a winning feeling into Tuesday's clash with Basel.
Shakhtar were present in the group stages of this season's Champions League but ultimately finished third in their section behind Manchester City and Atalanta BC. Luis Castro's side cannot be taken lightly in this competition, though, particularly considering that they lifted the UEFA Cup in 2009.
The team's undoubted strength is their ability in the final third of the field, but they kept their first clean sheet in 27 UEFA matches against Wolfsburg and will be looking to produce another shutout on Tuesday night.
Basel, meanwhile, ensured that they would be present in the quarter-finals of the competition courtesy of a 4-0 aggregate success over Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in the round of 16.
The Swiss giants won 3-0 in Germany back in March before finishing the job on Thursday night, recording a 1-0 victory to breeze into the final eight, setting up a clash with Shakhtar in the process.
Marcel Koller's side finished third behind Young Boys and St Gallen in their domestic league, which only ended at the start of this month, meaning that they should be in better shape in terms of match fitness if not slightly more fatigued than their opponents.
Basel were semi-finalists in the Europa League back in 2012-13, while they have won 50 of their 110 matches in this competition and will fancy their chances of causing Shakhtar problems in the one-off clash.
Shakhtar Donetsk Europa League form: DLWDWW
Shakhtar Donetsk form (all competitions): WWDWWW
Basel Europa League form: LWWWWW
Basel form (all competitions): DWDDDW
Team News
Shakhtar will be without the services of Davit Khocholava due to the red card that the 27-year-old picked up against Wolfsburg last time out, meaning that Serhii Bolbat could earn a start at the back.
It could otherwise be the same XI that started on August 5, though, with Junior Moraes, who netted twice in the last-16 second leg, once again leading the line.
Brazilians Taison, Alan Patrick and Marcos Antonio should also all keep their positions in the XI, meaning that Yevhen Konoplyanka might have to accept a spot on the bench once again.
As for Basel, Eray Comert is banned due to the booking that he picked up against Frankfurt, while Jonas Omlin, Ramires and Luca Zuffi are all on the sidelines through injury.
Jasper van der Werff could come into the back four as Comert's replacement, but former Premier League striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel is likely to start on the bench once again.
Brazilian attacker Arthur Cabral is likely to lead Basel's line on Tuesday night, with Taulant Xhaka and Fabian Frei lining up in the middle of the park.
Shakhtar Donetsk possible starting lineup:
Pyatov; Dodo, Kryvtsov, Matviyenko, Bolbat; Antonio, Stepanenko; Marlos, Patrick, Taison; Junior Moraes
Basel possible starting lineup:
Nikolic; Widmer, Van Der Werff, Alderete, Petretta; Xhaka, Frei; Stocker, Campo, Pululu; Cabral
We say: Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 Basel
This is a fascinating match as both sides will be full of confidence following impressive results in the round of 16. Shakhtar are so dangerous going forward, though, and we just fancy the Ukrainian outfit to edge what should be an entertaining encounter in Gelsenkirchen.
