Ilves vs Shakhtar Donetsk Prediction & Tips
The first leg of the Europa League round of 16 will be played this Thursday! At 6 p.m., Ilves will host Shakhtar Donetsk at the Tammelan Stadion in Tampere. The Veikkausliiga season is already well underway for Ilves. After its first 16 league games, the Finnish club is in the thick of the title race. It sits in second place in the standings, just one point behind the leader, Inter Turku. It also made its European debut last week. However, Joonas Rantanen’s team was no match for Shakhtar Donetsk (6-0). This heavy defeat virtually ends its chances of reaching the second qualifying round, even before the return leg in front of its fans.
After finishing third in the last Premier League season, Shakhtar Donetsk has to settle for participating in the C3. The Ukrainian club is determined to reach the Europa League group stage. Arda Turan’s men got off to the best possible start in these qualifiers with a resounding victory in the first leg.
