Inter vs. Shakhtar Donetsk 11/24/21 UEFA Champions League Soccer Picks, Best Bets and Odds

Inter is hosting Shakhtar Donetsk at Giuseppe Meazza in round 5 of Group D of the UEFA Champions League. Inter is in excellent form right now, and after beating Napoli in Serie A this past weekend, their confidence is high. Shakhtar is doing well in the Ukrainian Premier League, but they are struggling in the Champions League, and I think those struggles will continue.

Inter is now undefeated in their last 7 games, while winning 5 of those 7 games, and they are the best offensive team in the league with 32 scored goals. In the Champions League, Inter is in 2^nd place in their group, and with a win in this game, they will secure the spot in the next stage. Offensively, Inter hasn’t been as good as they are in Serie A, but their defense has been solid with only 3 conceded goals. In that game against Napoli, Inter has had 45% of ball possession, 7 shots on goal, 4 corner kicks, 2 big chances created, and 84% of the correct passes. Inter conceded first, in the 17^th minute, but by the 61^st minute, Inter was leading 3-1. Napoli was able to score in the 78^th minute, but Inter was defending well after that, and they have won this game 3-2. Inter has a couple of injuries, but they have solid depth, they have a lot of quality, and they are in excellent form right now.

Shakhtar has lost only 1 of their last 6 games, and that was in the Champions League against Real Madrid, as the matter of fact, the only games Shakhtar is losing are the ones in the Champions League. With only 1 point, only 1 scored goal, and 9 conceded goals, Shakhtar is in the last place of this group, and they can say goodbye to Europe. As far as the Ukrainian Premier League goes, Shakhtar is now in 2^nd place with 38 points, the same as Dynamo Kyiv has at the top of the table. The only goalscorer for Shakhtar in the Champions League is Fernando, and he will be in the lineup for this game as well. Despite all these bad results, Shakhtar is a solid team, probably the best in Ukraine, and their national league is too weak for them to become more competitive, and that is the biggest problem for teams coming from weaker leagues.

As I’ve mentioned, Inter will secure their spot in the next stage with a win here, and I think they will get it. I think Shakhtar could get on the scoreboard here, but Inter is just too good, they are in great form, and the difference in quality is pretty big.