Shakhtar Donetsk vs AS Monaco Preview

Shakhtar Donetsk will meet AS Monaco this Wednesday in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League group stage qualifier at OSC Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

The home team put themselves in pole position to progress to the next round by picking up a one-nil win in the first leg. A clean sheet and an away goal was exactly what they needed in their visit to France.

However, they now have to complete the job at home and will hope for a repeat performance or a more substantial margin.

Shakhtar head into this tie in good form having taken seven wins from their last eight competitive games.

Monaco meanwhile are entering this tie on the back of a 2-0 loss to Lens in Ligue 1. That result extended their losing run to three games.

That loss also means that Niko Kovac’s side have failed to score in their last three games, making it more difficult for anyone to bank on their ability to grab a goal in Ukraine.

They will hope for an improved performance on Wednesday as they bid to qualify for the UCL group stages for the first time since the 2018/19 season.