0 Bologna vs 0 Shakhtar Donetsk
Bologna take on Shakhtar Donetsk in Wednesday's UCL fixture.
Bologna's long-awaited return to European football sees them hosting Shakhtar Donetsk at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara in what promises to be an intriguing UEFA Champions League opener on Wednesday.
Bologna
After an impressive 2023-2024 league campaign under former boss Thiago Motta, finishing fifth, Bologna gained entry into this season’s Champions League proper for the first time ever. However, Bologna are finding life difficult under new manager Vincenzo Italiano, failing to record a win so far this season.
The Red and Blues [DDLD] have taken just three points out of a possible twelve, with the latest result being a 2-2 comeback draw against newly promoted Como at the weekend. ‘It wasn't an exciting match for us; I'm convinced that we will improve from what we saw today,’ Italiano said.
Bologna will now hope for a change in fortunes when they welcome Shakhtar for this Wednesday’s UCL opener, the first meeting between both sides. Prior to the competition’s rebranding, Bologna’s only previous European appearance was in the European Cup.
One of just five clubs making their Champions League debuts in 2024/25 and the longest returnee of the 36 sides back in the tournament, the hosts will be looking to announce their return with a win. With this season’s UCL adopting a new league-like format, a win in the first of just four home games in the league phase would be a fine way to start.
Meanwhile, a dominant record on home soil in UEFA tournaments serves as a source of inspiration. ‘We are facing the best two teams in Portugal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Monaco, and Shakhtar. They are all teams of the highest quality. They are all extremely well organised. We’ll need to be very brave when we take them on, and that’s what we’ll be working on in our preparation,’ Italiano said ahead of Wednesday’s clash.
A 4—3—3 formation with Santiago Castro, Ndoye, and Riccardo Orsolini in attack is expected.
Shakhtar Donetsk
One of the twenty-five teams to qualify for this season’s UCL league phase, Ukrainian Premier League champions Shakhtar find themselves in the competition for the 14th time in 15 seasons. Marino Pušić’s side travels to Italy for their first test in the revamped UCL, hoping to return as happy travelers.
The Miners are coming off a thrilling 5-2 league victory against Karpaty Lviv and will be looking to carry this momentum into their continental clash. However, the visitors are winless in their last eight encounters with Italian sides in European competition.
Oleksandr Zubkov, Danylo Sikan, and Kevin could start at the attacking end of the 4—3—3 formation. Shakhtar will need to overcome past challenges in Italy to make a strong start in their UCL campaign.
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