Shakhtar Donetsk vs Real Madrid Odds and Preview: UCL Group Stage Matchday 5
- Real Madrid is poised to advance to the UCL knockout stage for a 26th consecutive year when they visit struggling Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, December 1st, 2020
- Shakhtar tallied a shocking 3-2 upset win over Real last month, but have been outclassed in subsequent Group B matchups
- We’ve got you covered with all the odds and trends ahead of Tuesday afternoon’s Champions League clash at the Olympic National Sports Complex in Kiev, Ukraine
Real Madrid can punch their ticket to the knockout stage of this season’s UEFA Champions League with a win on Tuesday when they visit Shakhtar Donetsk as heavy -278 favorites in the UCL Group B Matchday 5 odds.
Real dropped a stunning 3-2 decision to Shakhtar to open their group stage schedule. Despite the poor result, they were steady in back-to-back wins over Inter Milan in their past two tournament outings.
Success has been rare for Shakhtar since their recent victory over Real, with the club posting just three wins in eight subsequent matches across all competitions. That includes consecutive shutout losses to Group B leaders, Borussia Monchengladbach.
Frosty weather is in the forecast for Wednesday afternoon’s matchup at the Olympic National Sports Complex in Kiev.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Real Madrid Odds
| Matchup | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shakhtar Donetsk vs Real Madrid | RMD -1.5 (+100) | DON +1.5 (-121) | RMD -265 | DON +625 | DRAW +440 | Ov 3.0 (-167) | Un 3.0 (+135) |
Odds taken Nov. 30 at DraftKings
Real Plagued by Injuries, Inconsistency
Real Madrid has struggled to produce consistent winning results in recent outings, with last week’s 2-0 victory over Inter Milan marking their lone victory in their past four outings.
The club’s woes continued with a 2-1 loss to Deportivo Alaves in La Liga action this past weekend that extends their current winless slide in league play to three matches. Goal production has been an issue during the current swoon, with Real getting limited to just a single goal in three of their past four outings.
👀How things stand in Group B…#UCL pic.twitter.com/LtDNSwZ2Wm
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 25, 2020
The club has been far more prolific in Champions League play, racking up nine total goals in their four group stage matches. However, a nagging rash of injuries continues to plague Real. Eden Hazard is the latest player to join the club’s walking wounded. Hampered by injuries since making the move to Madrid last season, Hazard’s health concerns continued in Sunday’s loss to Alaves.
Eden Hazard has had more injuries (9) than goals and assists (7) since leaving Chelsea for Real Madrid. pic.twitter.com/LkAEuiHVGB
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 30, 2020
Hazard is joined on the shelf by club captain Sergio Ramos and Dani Carvajal. However, Los Blancos could get a lift from the return of Karim Benzema, who is reportedly traveling with the club to Ukraine and is expected to see action on Tuesday after missing the past three contests.
Benzema has been key to Real’s limited success in group stage action, potting a pair of goals in three appearances, and sports -125 odds of finding the back of the net on Tuesday.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Real Madrid Stats
| 103/222 | Number of European Wins / Number of games | 317/545 |
| 346/1.56 | Number European goals scored / Per game | 1163/2.13 |
| 300/1.35 | Number of European goals conceded / Per game | 5.97/1.10 |
| 1 | Number of European trophies won | 19 |
| 13 | Number of domestic league titles won | 34 |
| 1 | Number of European finals | 27 |
Shakhtar Shell-Shocked in Recent UCL Matches
While Real have been bogged down by injuries, they are poised to get a break against Shakhtar, who enter Tuesday’s matchup as distant +625 home underdogs. Offensive production has emerged as a massive worry for the Miners, who have scored more than one goal just twice in eight matches across all competitions since their recent upset win over Real.
The club manhandled opponents in their past two Ukrainian league matches but have been held off the scoresheet in three straight group stage matches, including a pair of crushing losses to Gladbach.
Things get no better for Shakhtar in UCL matches on home turf, where they have failed to earn a win in eight straight outings and have been held off the scoresheet on five occasions during that stretch. That woeful trend extends to their only previous home date with Real in Champions League action five years ago, when Cristiano Ronaldo potted a hat trick to power Los Blancos to a 4-0 win.
While the chilly weather may work to the advantage of the home side, a repeat of last month’s upset win is likely not in the cards for Shakhtar. Despite their recent struggles, Real have largely been able to contain opposing shooters in recent contests. And even without Hazard, Ramos, and Carvajal in the lineup, Real remains quite capable of dictating the pace against shell-shocked Miners.
The Picks: Real Madrid (-265); Under 3.0 (+135)
Daniel has been writing about sports and sports betting for over 23 years. The seasoned pro has contributed to the likes of Sports Illustrated, Sportsnet, NESN, Bleacher Report, OddsShark, the Globe and Mail, and The Nation magazine.
