Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona Prediction and Betting Tips: Two European picks worth chancing

Barcelona are a perfect 3 from 3 in Group H of the Champions League, while their hosts on Tuesday night Shakhtar Donetsk have recorded two losses and a victory thus far. As Donetsk is still unplayable due to the war in Ukraine, this match is set to take place in Hamburg and a win in Germany will see Barcelona all but qualify for the knockout rounds. The game is live on TNT Sport and kicks off at 5:45pm GMT.

Despite the frustration Catalonians are experiencing in their domestic competition La Liga, watching Real Madrid race away into a lead in the title race, they have found the Champions League group stages much calmer waters so far.

Antwerp were dispatched 5-0 at Camp Nou in game week one to get the three time European champions off to a flier, before a hard fought away win at Porto with ten men in week 2. Last time out in this competition, the high profile La Liga side were given a fright at home by Shakhtar, but in the end emerged victorious by a scoreline of 2-1.

This performance and narrow defeat will give Shakhtar confidence, and now that the Ukrainian side have fully adapted to playing their home games on the road they will fancy their chances of taking at least a point from their more illustrious rivals.

Barcelona's last two games in La Liga have been settled in the final minutes, with El Classico heartbreak preceding a last minute winner against Real Sociedad last time out. Barca fans certainly don't want to be switching off their television sets early!

The Ukrainian champions are a massive 12/1 to win this game, with Barca well fancied at 2/7. Draw punters can back the stalemate at 11/2 best price.

The match result odds look a tad disrespectful to my eye here, as despite going down when the two last clashed a fortnight ago at Camp Nou, Shakhtar were by no means dominated by Xavi's side. The statistics show Shakhtar were in the game, with 46% possession and 11 shots in total.

They were scuppered by wayward shooting, with just one shot on target registered which of course resulted in their goal. Barca may well have taken their foot off the gas after getting into a 2-0 lead at home, but the Ukrainians are no mugs and I think it is more likely they score than are kept scoreless here.

Barcelona's quality is obvious to all and we can expect Xavi to go strong here in the hopes of wrapping the group up, meaning he can rotate in the latter stages of the groups when qualification is mathematically secure.

The favourites have kept a clean sheet in eight of their fifteen games this season, a fine defensive record, but I think they miss Frenkie De Jong when he is out and the Dutch wizard is a doubt for this clash. His control of the ball and press resistance is an extraordinary attribute to keep possession and smother oppositions, and Oriol Romeu is levels below as a holding midfielder. Barca have enough quality to win the game, but expect them to concede while doing it.

Ilkay Gundogan developed a reputation as the man for the big occasion while enjoying a glittering career at Man City, and getting his first Barcelona goal in El Classico further enhanced that legend. The veteran German may not have been hitting huge numbers early doors in attacking involvements, certainly not in terms of goals scored anyway, but in the Champions League he has been given more licence to get forward and it has paid dividends.

With a record of two assists in three games so far in Europe, the price of 9/2 for him to provide another here looks juicy. In the reverse fixture, it was Gundogan's delicious pass that set Fermin free before the first goal, with his shot hitting the post and ricocheting nicely for Ferran Torres to break the deadlock.

With De Jong likely missing, Barca will be reliant on Gundogan and Gavi to create chances from midfield, as there is a high probability the Ukrainians attempt to sit in deep. If this is the case, Barca may have to be patient in their pursuit of high quality chances, but we have seen throughout the years they are more than capable of this.

Gundogan has also taken set pieces on occasion for Barca this season and that is of course always an avenue to potential goals, especially with an elite marksman like Robert Lewandowski sniffing around for chances in the box. 9/2 underestimates Gundogan's chances of making it 3 assists in 4 games and is worth a punt as our longer odds bet for the evening's clash.