Shakhtar Donetsk vs Monaco Predictions

Monaco are in the middle of a woeful run and they head to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday needing to fight back from a one-goal deficit if they are to reach the Champions League proper.

It is hard to pinpoint exactly what is going wrong at the Stade Louis II in these early stages of Niko Kovac’s tenure.  Monaco have lost their last three games, including the first leg of this tie, but in terms of overall play they are creating more chances than their opponents and in most cases dominating the possession too. 

Despite having some talented forwards, most notably Wissam Ben Yedder, they are lacking any ruthlessness in attack and that may be down to something as simple as a dip in confidence or just bad luck.  I suspect results will improve in the near future, but this tough qualifier in the Ukraine looks an unlikely starting point for any revival and they could be heading for a fourth successive loss at Shakhtar.

The hosts have won their last four games and have five wins in their last six competitive home fixtures.  Given Monaco’s recent struggles, a win for Shakhtar at a big price is my top tip here and a 2-0 win for the home side stands out in the correct score market.  Shakhtar are averaging two goals per-game over their last four games and have conceded just once, while Monaco have failed to score in each of their last three fixtures.