Feyenoord will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to 18 games when they face Shakhtar Donetsk in Warsaw on Thursday.
With a place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League up for grabs, both sides will be eager to gain a first-leg advantage ahead of next week's decider in Rotterdam.
Match preview
Shakhtar Donetsk head into Thursday's clash on the back of a 7-0 thrashing of Metalist Kharkiv, meaning that Igor Jovicevic's side sit joint-top of the Ukrainian Premier League table following three successive victories.
Having lost just one of their 15 league matches this season – picking up 11 wins and three draws along the way – Shakhtar are on course to clinch a fifth domestic crown in six seasons, although Dnipro-1 are giving the 13-time champions a run for their money this term.
Shakhtar Donetsk started the 2022-23 campaign in the Champions League but ended up finishing behind Real Madrid and RB Leipzig in Group F, despite thrashing Leipzig 4-1 before holding Los Blancos to a 1-1 draw.
Consequently, Jovicevic's men came up against Rennes in the Europa League knockout round playoffs, with Shakhtar booking their place in the last 16 via a penalty shootout after recording a 3-3 aggregate draw with the French club.
Although Shakhtar Donetsk have sold a number of key players in recent times – including influential winger Mykhaylo Mudryk – the Ukrainian giants have still got what it takes to compete on the European stage.
It is fair to say that Feyenoord can count themselves somewhat fortunate to have won their Europa League group, as all four teams in Group F finished on eight points, leaving Arne Slot's side atop the standings thanks to their superior goal difference.
That said, there is nothing fortunate about Feyenoord's position in the Eredivisie table, as the Rotterdam outfit find themselves three points clear at the summit of the Dutch top flight after suffering a solitary defeat in 24 league games this term.
Feyenoord extended their winning streak in the Eredivisie to four matches with a 1-0 victory over Groningen last time out, meaning that Slot's men have taken 39 points from a possible 51 since losing to PSV Eindhoven back in September.
When you look at the bigger picture, Feyenoord have lost just three of their 33 encounters across all competitions this season, with their last defeat coming against Sturm Graz in the Europa League on October 27.
Not only have Feyenoord won each of their last five games in all competitions, but they have also won 12 of their previous 17, so Slot's men will be confident of picking up a positive result on Thursday before Shakhtar visit De Kuip next week.
Team News
Shakhtar Donetsk are currently without forward Maryan Shved, who bagged a Champions League brace against RB Leipzig earlier this season before picking up an injury back in October.
On top of that, key defender Mykola Matvienko is a doubt for the first leg after missing the 7-0 thrashing of Metalist Kharkiv, meaning that Valeriy Bondar and Yaroslav Rakitskyi will likely occupy the centre-back spots.
Lassina Traore will be hopeful of enhancing his tally of four goals and four assists this term, having bagged a goal and an assist last time out.
With first-choice goalkeeper Justin Bijlow out injured, Timon Wellenreuther will continue to deputise between the sticks for Feyenoord.
The Dutch outfit will also be without the injured duo of Quinten Timber (knee) and Patrik Walemark (thigh) on Thursday, meaning that Slot faces selection dilemmas in both midfield and attack.
Having scored 12 goals since arriving at De Kuip from Mexican club Cruz Azul – including four in six Europa League outings – Santiago Gimenez is expected to lead the line for Feyenoord.
Shakhtar Donetsk possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Konoplya, Bondar, Rakitskiy, Mykhaylichenko; Bondarenko, Stepanenko, Djurasek; Zubkov, Sudakov; Traore
Feyenoord possible starting lineup:
Wellenreuther; Pedersen, Geertruida, Hancko, Hartman; Wieffer, Kokcu; Jahanbakhsh, Dilrosun, Idrissi; Gimenez
We say: Shakhtar Donetsk 1-1 Feyenoord
Having suffered just three defeats all season, Feyenoord are favoured to advance to the quarter-finals, but Shakhtar Donetsk will not go down without a fight.
Feyenoord may have to wait until the second leg at De Kuip to assert their dominance on the contest, as a resilient Shakhtar outfit are expected to frustrate Slot's men on Thursday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
body check tags ::
Previews by email
