Borussia Monchengladbach vs Shakhtar Donetsk Odds & Preview: UCL Group Stage Matchday 4
- Group B leaders Moenchengladbach meet Donetsk in Germany at 12:55 pm ET on Wednesday
- Germans won 6-0 in Ukraine on Matchday 3 while Real Madrid and Inter Milan struggle in section
- See all odds and best bets for Borussia Monchengladbach vs Shakhtar Donetsk on UCL Matchday 4
Borussia Monchengladbach hopes to build upon their surprise lead in Group B of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) when they face Shakhtar Donetsk in Germany on Wednesday.
With the Ukrainians of Shakhtar in second place, these two teams are upsetting the odds by currently being placed above the might of third-placed Real Madrid and bottom team Inter Milan.
The mood around Monchengladbach is particularly buoyant after they won 6-0 at Shakhtar on Matchday 3 – their record victory in European competition.
Read our preview and best bet for this match below, one of eight taking place on Wednesday.
Borussia Monchengladbach vs Shakhtar Donetsk Odds
| Matchup | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borussia Monchengladbach vs Shakhtar Donetsk | BOR -1.5 (+138) | SHA +1.5 (-167) | BOR -200 | SHA +510 | DRAW +350 | Ov 1.5 (-625) | Un 1.5 (+425) |
Odds taken Nov 24 at DraftKings
In fact, Borussia are unbeaten in the group stage while Shakhtar have also proven themselves to be a surprise package with a 3-2 win at Real Madrid on Matchday 1.
At Draftkings, Monchengladbach are wide favorites at -200 with Shakhtar priced at +510. The draw is +350.
We quite enjoyed our last meeting with @FCShakhtar_eng 😁#DieFohlen #UCL #BMGSHK pic.twitter.com/2NLiAoMUCV
— Gladbach (@borussia_en) November 23, 2020
There is little value there. So, given Monchengladbach’s 6-0 rout three weeks ago and the fact they have scored ten times in the competition already, we should expect goals.
But it is also likely that Shakhtar will tighten up at the back in order to avoid another humiliation.
That makes the spread offer of +138 for Monchengladbach to win by at least two goals look the best value here.
Draws Against Real Madrid and Inter
The German outfit have also impressed by gaining a 2-2 draw at Inter as the group stage enters its second half and a 2-2 draw at home against Real Madrid.
They top the table with five points and a defeat of Shakhtar at 12:55 pm ET on Wednesday will give them a notable extended lead.
💪🏻 We're ready for tomorrow's #BMGShakhtar @ChampionsLeague battle!
Shakhtar's pre-match training session before the flight to Germany. #UCL pic.twitter.com/Z9zuzSrtKa
— FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (@FCShakhtar_eng) November 24, 2020
With Inter facing Real in Italy, that also hands Monchengladbach an opportunity to tighten their grip on the group.
Shakhtar – a club packed with Brazilian players – has four points, as do Real Madrid while Inter has two points.
The meeting of Shakhtar and Monchengladbach in Ukraine three weeks ago was the first between the clubs and proved to be an excellent night for the visitors.
Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Champions League this season:
🤝 2-2 vs. Inter Milan
🤝 2-2 vs. Real Madrid
✅ 6-0 vs. ShakhtarUnbeaten and scored 10 goals in 3 games. 💪 #UCL pic.twitter.com/fOTuzhj5dj
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) November 3, 2020
French forward Alassane Plea scored a hat-trick for the Germans.
However, he will be unavailable for Wednesday’s return match after testing positive for COVID-19. Swiss attacker Breel Ambalo is the likely replacement.
The Matchday 3 game was played at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev rather than in Donetsk because of the conflict with Russia in the region.
Goals from Remy Bensabaini, Lars Stindl and a Valeriy Bondar own goal made up the total of the 6-0 rout.
The Matchday 3 game was played at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev rather than in Donetsk because of the conflict with Russia in the region.
Since joining from Guingamp in 2019, Marcus Thuram has emerged into a key performer for Borussia Mönchengladbach, scoring a brace vs. Real Madrid and earning a maiden call-up to the French national team.@cainsmithMU analyzes the 23-year-old Thuram: https://t.co/CnkCvsmxGQ pic.twitter.com/tR8STiNQcr
— Breaking The Lines (@BTLvid) November 16, 2020
It was a bitter blow for Shakhtar after they had followed their win in Madrid with a 0-0 home draw against Inter.
Borussia are in seventh place in Germany’s Bundesliga with three wins, three draws and two defeats.
Borussia Monchengladbach vs Shakhtar Donetsk Statistics
| 1 | Wins | 1 |
| 0 | Losses | 1 |
| 2 | Draws | 1 |
| 10 | Goals | 3 |
| 4 | Goals Against | 8 |
| 5 | Yellow Cards | 4 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 1 | Clean Sheets | 1 |
There was a frustrating 1-1 draw at home against Augsburg last weekend which followed a 4-3 defeat by Bayer Leverkusen – ending a run of two straight wins.
German forward Stindl is their leading scorer this season with five goals.
Shakhtar Unbeaten in Ukraine League
Shakhtar are second in the Ukrainian league behind Dinamo Kiev with five wins, five draws and no defeats.
They drew 1-1 at home last weekend against Oleksandriya which followed an impressive 3-0 away win at Dinamo Kiev on November 8 – an encouraging response after the thrashing by Monchengladbach five days earlier.
Tying 1-1 with Oleksandriia in Kyiv.
We failed to win playing short-handed for almost an hour. #ShakhtarOleksandriia
Now, all our thoughts are about the @ChampionsLeague match vs Monchengladbach in Germany on November 25th. pic.twitter.com/R6CSBDwZIw
— FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (@FCShakhtar_eng) November 21, 2020
Shakhtar’s leading goalscorers are the Brazilian Alan Patrick and the Ukrainian Victor Kovalenko who have each hit four goals in all competitions this season.
Borussia competed in the Europa League last season but was eliminated at the group stage.
The Donetsk team were semifinalists in the Europa League last season but were beaten 5-0 by Inter Milan.
They qualified directly into this season’s UCL group stage after finishing fourth in the Bundesliga.
The Donetsk team were semifinalists in the Europa League last season but were beaten 5-0 by Inter Milan.
🔥 The games against German teams are always exciting!
⚽ Ahead of the meeting with Monchengladbach, we recall Srna's incredible free-kick, Maycon's smasher and other goals netted by Shakhtar against German clubs.
Watch it exclusively on Shakhtar Club: https://t.co/7QQue4jVJD. pic.twitter.com/wQjysTXcAy
— FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (@FCShakhtar_eng) November 23, 2020
They had stepped down into the competition after finishing third in their UCL group.
Monchengladbach has the greater historic European pedigree having been winners of the UEFA Cup in 1975 and 1979 and European Cup runners-up in 1977.
Shakhtar last got beyond the UCL group stage when they reached the last 16 in 2018.
They were UEFA Cup winners in 2009; only the second team from Ukraine to win a European competition.
Pick: Borussia Monchengladbach – Asian Handicap -1.5 (+138)
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
