Shakhtar Donetsk vs Besiktas Tips & Preview - Ukrainians to complete the job

By Tolu Shotade

29 Jul 2025

Tolu Shotade 29 Jul 2025

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Shakhtar Donetsk won the first leg 4-2 against Besiktas in the Europa League.
Shakhtar are unbeaten in 9 of their last 10 matches and confident at home.
Besiktas have lost their last three matches but are strong on the road.

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Besiktas

After claiming a 4-2 victory in the first meeting, Shakhtar Donetsk return home for the second leg of their UEFA Europa League qualifier.

The Turks showed enough fight in the first leg to ensure the tie remains intriguing and will come into Thursday's clash still hopeful. However, the Ukrainians will be feeling confident here and should claim the upper hand once again.

Shakhtar Donetsk News

It was an impressive performance from Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg, and they were fully deserving of the win. Early efforts from Alisson and Eguinaldo set them on their way before Kevin's second-half brace sealed the victory.

Shakhtar Donetsk’s overall form has been solid lately, having gone unbeaten in nine of their last 10 matches across all competitions. Arda Turan's team have also done some good work at their new adopted home in Poland due to the current war in their native Ukraine. They picked up a 6-0 victory over Ilves in the previous round at home.

Goals have not been a problem for Shakhtar Donetsk lately, and they have scored first in six of their last nine matches across all competitions. Three of their last five fixtures have also produced over 2.5 goals.

Besiktas News

Besiktas showed some flashes of quality in the first leg but were generally second best to the Ukrainians despite being at home. Efforts in each half from Tammy Abraham and Joao Mario mean they come into Thursday's clash not quite down and out yet.

While Besiktas are hoping for an epic turnaround in the second leg, their recent form has been troubling, losing their last three matches across all competitions. However, they have done good work on their travels and are unbeaten in seven of their last eight away matches, but were beaten 3-2 by Wolfsberger in their previous fixture on the road.

Besiktas have some quality going forward, with the two efforts in the first leg giving them a lifeline in this tie. The last three matches for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team have produced over 2.5 goals.

Head to Head

The 4-2 win in the first leg extends Shakhtar Donetsk's fine record in this fixture. The Ukrainians are now unbeaten in four matches against Besiktas.

Verdict

Shakhtar Donetsk v Besiktas

Besiktas will be desperate to turn things around, while Shakhtar Donetsk have the quality to take advantage of the spaces. As seen in the first leg, the Ukrainians are likely to score first, while the clash could be set to produce over 2.5 goals once again.

Shakhtar Donetsk are looking confident at the moment and come into this clash unbeaten in nine of their last 10 matches across all competitions. They should complete the double over Besiktas, who have lost their last three matches.

Over 2.5

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