Man City to ease past Shakhtar Donetsk
Oleksandr Osipov / Shutterstock.com
Manchester City host Group F bottom dwellers Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday night in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola’s team top the group following matchday 3’s win in Ukraine.
Manchester City eased past Shakhtar on the night with a 3-0 win. They will expect to do the same at the Etihad and stay ahead of second place Lyon. The French side is the only team to take points off of Manchester City in Group F. The two clubs will meet again on the final group matchday and the result could dictate which team wins the group. Guardiola needs to see his side continue its fine form and win at home on Wednesday night.
Shakhtar go into the fixture as major underdogs, according to leading sportsbooks. Despite winning their last three domestic games convincingly, they showed they are little match for Manchester City’s high-octane attack.
Shakhtar defeated Ukrainian rivals Dynamo Kyiv at the weekend 2-1. They now lead the Ukrainian Premier League by eight points over Dynamo. Although Shakhtar are having a relatively easy time in the league, the Champions League is proving too difficult this term.
Manager Paulo Fonseca is one of the more sought-after managers in European football thanks to his work at Shakhtar. Despite showing he is a talented young manager, his trip to the Etihad will be a learning experience against Guardiola. Fonseca’s most dangerous player is 31-year-old Moraes and he will have the most opportunities to unlock Manchester City’s defence. The Brazilian has tallied 13 goals in 18 games this term.
Guardiola could choose to rest several key players as the fixtures pile up. Manchester City will have one eye on the Manchester Derby at the weekend and Sergio Aguero and other key players may not feature on Wednesday night.
Danilo and Riyad Mahrez were held out of Sunday’s Premier League win over Southampton. Both could feature in the starting XI against Shakhtar. Meanwhile, centre-back Nicolas Otamendi will sit out the fixture due to a muscle injury. Kevin De Bruyne will also miss out due to a knee injury.
Manchester City swatted Shakhtar’s challenge away two weeks ago and the Cityzens will do it again on matchday 4. Guardiola’s side will rack up the goals once more and tighten their grip on Group F. Manchester City should equal the 3-0 scoreline they won by in Ukraine and send Shakhtar home with little chance of progressing to the round of 16.