Champions League
2012-09-19 - Shakhtar Donetsk vs Nordsjælland
A Sports Betting Pick by ROzsolt
Football : Champions League group stages
Venue: Donbass Arena, Donetsk
Wednesday 19th September – Kickoff time: 20:45 GMT+1
Shakhtar Donetsk
Shakhtar won the Ukrainian Premier League for the third time in a row and for the sixth time since 2004 to secure a spot in the group stages of the Champions League.
Their most successful campaign in the competition was in 2010-11 when they’ve reached the quarter finals eliminating AS Roma (6-2 on agg.) in the round of 16.
Shakhtar’s most recent campaign ended with an unexpected bottom place finish in a group that looked accessible for them (Apoel, Zenit and Porto).
The Ukrainian champions have gone for UCL games without a win at Dombass Arena, losing two and drawing two since their 3-0 round of 16 victory over Roma.
Nordsjaelland
Nordsjaelland are one of three clubs making their debut in the group stage this season, along with Montpellier Hérault SC and Málaga CF.
Furthermore, none of the Nordsjaelland squad have played in the UEFA Champions League before.
Nordsjaelland have had four campaigns in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League but only managed to get through to the first round proper twice.
The season has not started well for them, they already sit six points behind FC Copenhagen after nine rounds. They’ve actually lost in Copenhagen on Saturday (2-1).
The Betting Verdict
Danish teams are not to be underestimated, let’s not forget Copenhagen’s excellent 2010/11 campaign when they’ve finished second in a group with Barcelona, Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos.
These Scandinavian sides compensate their lack of technical ability with an excellent organization and physical strength. However, to be drawn against Chelsea, Shakhtar and Juventus in their first ever appearance in the UCL could be a bit overwhelming.
Shakhtar’s objective on the other hand is to progress to the knockout stages even if that would mean that either Chelsea or Juventus will crash out, but they do have the quality to finish top 2 in my opinion.
Dropping points against Nordsjaelland in a group like this would diminish their chances considerably, but I cannot see past a comfortable home win in this one. Shakhtar has too much quality and firepower in front with all those talented Brazilians, i can't imagine them failing to score at least two or three goals.
The Statistics :
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pick :
Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 Nordsjælland
Gooner’s Statistical Value Bet
