Shakhtar with crunch match in Manchester

2019/20 UEFA Champions League

Matchday 5

26-27 November 2019

Shakhtar Donetsk’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout phase of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League may hinge on their clash away to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday 26 November 2019, kick-off at 21:00.

Shakhtar Donetsk forward Junior Moraes

Shakhtar came from 3-1 down to secure a dramatic 3-3 draw away to Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia in their last Group C match, with goals in injury time from Junior Moraes and Tete. The result sees the Ukrainian giants placed second on the standings on five points, though Dinamo are level with them and competing strongly for progression into the last 16.

“Our players had desire and energy until the very end. We missed the chance to take the game under control but football is like this. That's why millions of people love it. Anyway, nothing is lost or won for us so far,” said Shakhtar manager Luis Castro.

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City lost their 100 percent record in the group earlier this month, playing to a 1-1 draw away to Atalanta at the San Siro in a match where they ended with 10 men and defender Kyle Walker playing in goal following the dismissal of Claudio Bravo. Nonetheless, the English club need only avoid defeat in one of their final two matches to guarantee qualification.

“In this competition you know that when you have your moments you have to take it,” explained City manager Pep Guardiola, who added, “We must make sure that we earn a place in the next round.”

Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling

In head-to-head stats, City and Shakhtar have met in five previous European matches. The Citizens have won four times compared to once for the Ukrainians, with zero draws in the sequence.

When the teams met in Kharkiv in September, City claimed a 3-0 away win thanks to goals from Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan and Gabriel Jesus, getting them off to the perfect start in Group C.