Shakhtar Donetsk vs Young Boys Prediction: Blum ripe for a 3/1 booking in Gelsenkirchen

Neither Shakhtar Donetsk nor Young Boys have won a Uefa Champions League league phase game this season, piling the pressure on both sides ahead of their matchday four meeting at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday (17:45, TNT Sports 3).

Below you can find my Shakhtar Donetsk vs Young Boys prediction, complete with all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of this game in Germany.

Team News

Shakhtar Donetsk appear to have a full-strength squad available to them on Wednesday, save for 21-year-old reserve goalkeeper Tymur Puzankov who continues to recover from an ACL tear.

Dmytro Kryskiv was sent off in a 1-1 draw with Dynamo Kyiv last month and the 24-year-old sat out his side's next two games, wins over Zorya (1-0) and Chornomorets Odesa (2-1), but is free to return to the team against Young Boys.

Lassina Traore, Kevin and Taras Stepanenko are among those vying for starts after beginning Saturday's victory over Ch. Odesa on the bench.

Football Odds

Young Boys have a lengthy injury list to contend with heading into Wednesday's game in Gelsenkirchen. Mohamed Camara, Miguel Chaiwa, Facinet Conte, Patric Pfeiffer, Banhie Zoukrou, Jaouen Hadjam and Saidy Janko are all ruled out for the visitors.

Joel Monteiro was sent off in Saturday's 0-0 stalemate with FC Zurich but is free to play in Germany.

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Young Boys Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Shakhtar Donetsk vs Young Boys page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Shakhtar Donetsk are 1/1 to take all three points on Wednesday, giving the Ukrainians an implied win probability of 50%, while Young Boys are 13/5, or a 27.8% chance, to get off the mark in the league phase with a victory over the Miners.

A draw is also priced at 13/5, both teams to score at 8/13, and over 2.5 total goals at 8/11.

Shakhtar duo Traore (15/8) and Danylo Sikan (2/1) head the anytime goalscorer market, with Cedric Itten (12/5) first up for the visitors.

Match Result - Shakhtar Donetsk @ 1/1

Shakhtar were impressive in Europe last season, collecting nine points and finishing third in a Champions League group containing Barcelona, FC Porto and Royal Antwerp. They beat Antwerp 'home' - in Hamburg - and away and also beat Barcelona in Germany, qualifying for the Uefa Europa League knockout round play-offs, where they lost 5-3 on aggregate to French giants Olympique Marseille.

Things haven't gone as well for the Ukrainians in this new-look league phase as they have picked up just a single point from three matches, and that was achieved in their first game, a goalless draw away to Bologna. In fairness, their next two contests came at home to reigning Europa League champions Atalanta and away to 2023/24 Premier League runners-up Arsenal, who beat them 3-0 and 1-0 respectively.

They certainly weren't disgraced in north London last time out in the competition as only an own-goal from Dmytro Riznyk proved to be the difference between the sides, and they stand a much better chance of avoiding defeat - and winning - against a pointless Young Boys outfit that has already changed managers this season.

Young Boys failed to win any of their first six Swiss Super League games and lost five of their first nine while, like Shakhtar, they are yet to score in the league phase of the Champions League, losing at home to Aston Villa (0-3) and Inter Milan (0-1) either side of a 5-0 thrashing in Spain at the hands of Barcelona.

There have been shoots of recovery from Young Boys in the past week with a 3-2 win over FC Basel last Wednesday followed by a goalless draw with FC Zurich on Saturday; however, they've lost three of their previous four away games, last winning on their travels at Winterthur on September 22.

Shakhtar are only third in the Ukrainian Premier League after 11 matches but haven't lost in domestic action since August 24 and followed up a 1-1 draw at leaders Dynamo Kyiv on October 29 - achieved with 10 men for the last half an hour - with back-to-back wins over Zorya (1-0) and Chornomorets Odesa (2-1), the first of those victories coming in the Ukrainian Cup.

Of course, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine means that Shakhtar are still forced to play their European games outside of the country, and Young Boys will be more confident of facing them on neutral ground in Germany.

However, Shakhtar showed their European mettle in 2023/24 and haven't been entirely disgraced in the Champions League this season, unlike Young Boys, who suffered heavy defeats to Aston Villa and Barcelona before settling things down a bit at home to Inter last time out.

Young Boys are also still third-bottom of the Swiss Super League, highlighting their struggles this term, and Shakhtar will believe that they are a much better side than their midweek opponents.

I wouldn't like to predict how many goals will be scored in this game given that neither have found the net so far in the competition, but I do think the Ukrainian outfit have the edge here so I'm backing Shakhtar at EVS.

Player to Receive a Card - Lewin Blum (YBO) @ 3/1

This selection heavily depends on whether Young Boys' caretaker head coach Joel Magnin opts for Lewis Blum or Zachary Athekame at right-back. Athekame has started three of his side's last four league games but Blum got the nod in the big one against Basel, which Young Boys won, and has also begun the Swiss side's last two Champions League matches, away to Barcelona and at home to Inter.

Athekame was selected for Young Boys' opening league phase contest against Aston Villa but has since only appeared as a substitute in the competition, which leads me to think the more experienced defender, 23-year-old Blum, could get the start on Wednesday ahead of a player four years his junior.

If Blum does start in Gelsenkirchen, he could have his work cut out trying to deal with tricky Shakhtar winger Eguinaldo, who has been fouled an average of 1.7 times per game in the Champions League this season.

Eguinaldo has started all three league phase matches against Bologna, Atalanta and Arsenal, being fouled three times in Italy, once in Germany against La Dea, and once last time out in England.

Ahead of Shakhtar's opening Champions League game in Bologna, I tipped I Rossoblu right-back Stefan Posch, alongside Kryskiv, to receive a card. Kryskiv kept himself clean, but Posch was cautioned in the first two minutes for fouling Eguinaldo in the penalty box, conceding a penalty in the process. Posch would go on to commit a further two fouls on the 20-year-old Brazilian, all inside the first 23 minutes.

My logic for picking Posch to be carded in that game was actually based more on another Brazilian winger at Shakhtar, Kevin, who failed to make the squad due to injury.

However, Eguinaldo has taken up the left-wing mantle and has shown himself to be a dangerous runner for opposition right-backs, also winning a free-kick from Arsenal's Ben White in the 34th minute of their game at the Emirates Stadium last month, with the Gunners full-back booked for his foul.

Blum has yet to be carded in the Champions League this season but conceded a free-kick against Inter for a handball last time out in the competition and is averaging 1.3 fouls per game in the Swiss Super League, where he has been booked twice in eight starts, including his last one against Basel on October 30.

Offers

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