Shakhtar Donetsk vs Celta Vigo Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Shakhtar took a real stranglehold on this tie by winning 1-0 in Spain last week, thanks to Gustavo Blanco’s 1st Half goal. They’ve been so dominant in the Europa League this season, it’s hard to see them not finishing the job here with a bit of breathing space.

Celta Vigo are having another pretty good season but the effects of making good progress in two cup competitions whilst trying to maintain their league form, now appears to be taking its toll. They are yet to have a midweek off in 2017 due to their Copa del Rey progress whereas Shakhtar’s only competitive game so far was the 1st Leg last week, so Shakhtar certainly should have the fresher legs here.

The away record of Celta is another reason why it’s hard to see them coming back. They’ve lost 4 of their last 6 away games in La Liga and have only won twice on the road this term in the league. They did pick up one away win in the group stage of this competition, with their 2-0 victory at Panathinaikos seeing them through into the knock-out stage but Shakhtar are offering a real step up in class on anything they faced before Christmas in this competition.

The side from Ukraine were the only team to progress with a 100% record in the group phase. They’ve won all their nine Europa League matches this term and the football they’ve been playing wouldn’t have been out of place in the knock-out stages of the Champions League in truth. Their penalty shootout defeat at Young Boys in a UCL qualifier earlier this term remains the only real low-point in their season, as they’ve been dominant in their domestic league as well.

Shakhtar have won their last 13 games in all competitions and the last time they failed to win was four months ago. In the Europa League, they haven’t just been winning but winning big. They averaged 3.5 goals per game in the group phase and won 5 of their 6 matches by at least a 2 goal margin. With home advantage they are likely to have too much for Celta again here and backing Shakhtar Donetsk -1 Asian Handicap at 41/40 looks to offer value.