With two wins from as many games, the hosts are currently occupying top spot in Group F, while Shakhtar Donetsk are sitting one place behind them, having pocketed four points, two adrift of leaders.
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Real Madrid will host Shakhtar Donetsk in a UEFA Champions League fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night. With two wins from as many games, the hosts are currently occupying top spot in Group F, while Shakhtar Donetsk are sitting one place behind them, having pocketed four points, two adrift of leaders. Real Madrid are heading into the match on the back of a 1-1 draw against Osasuna in a La Liga fixture on sunday. Shakhtar, meanwhile, thrashed Metalist in an Ukrainian Premier League match a day earlier.
🔌 @Benzema 🔌 #UCL pic.twitter.com/xjgUfqtNDq
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) October 4, 2022
Real Madrid began their champions League title-defence with a 3-0 victory over Rangers on September 7, before defeating RB Leipzig 2-0, a week later. Against Leipzig, Los Blancos struggled to find the back of the net until Federico Valverde broke the deadlock, ten minutes from time. And then, Marco Asensio doubled the lead one minute into injury time to seal the win. Meanwhile Carlo Ancelotti’s side dropped their first points of the season against Osasuna on Sunday. Although Vinicius Jr put Los Blancos ahead three minutes before the break, Osasuna equalised through Kike Garcia’s 50th-minute strike to share the points.
Los Blancos are currently sitting at the second position in the La Liga standings, having collected 19 points from seven games, level on points with leaders Barcelona, but separated by goal-difference. Shakhtar, on the other hand, are also sitting at the summit of the Ukrainian Premier League standings, having won four of their opening five games thus far. Meanwhile, the Miners kicked off their European campaign with a 4-1 win over RB Leipzig, before playing out a 1-1 draw against Celtic, last month.
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Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, who missed the draw against Osasuna after sustaining injury while on international duty, is back in the squad. The Croatian international could start on the bench, therefore, Valverdecould join Kroos and Tchouameni in the engine room. As for Shakhtar, full-back Viktor Kornienko is long-term absentee because of a serious knee injury. Danylo Sikan is expected to lead the line with Shved and Mudryk occupying the flanks.
Real Madrid probable starting lineup: Lunin, Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy, Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos, Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius
Shakhtar Donetsk probable starting lineup: Trubin, Taylor, Bondar, Matviyenko, Konoplya, Shved, Bondarenko, Stepanenko, Sudakov, Mundryk, Sikan
The UEFA Champions League match between Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk will take place at Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday at 12:30 am IST.
| Real Madrid vs Shakhtar Donetsk | Key details |
| Date | October 5 (Spain) |
| Venue | Santiago Bernabeu |
| Kickoff time in Spain | 9:00 pm (Tuesday) |
| Kickoff time in Ukraine | 10:00 pm (Tuesday) |
For the football fans in India, live coverage of the UEFA Champions League matches will be available on Sony Sports network. Besides, fans can live stream via Jio TV. Meanwhile, those in Spain can catch the live action on Movistar + and Movistar Liga de Campeones; and MEGOGO Football 1 in Ukraine.
