Besiktas vs Shakhtar Donetsk prediction 24.07.2025 | UEFA Europa League

• Competition: UEFA Europa League
• Date: 24th July, 2025
• Kickoff: 19:00 UK / 20:00 CEST
• Venue: Tupras Stadyum

Besiktas and Shakhtar Donetsk will meet in the first leg of the second qualifying round of the Europa League 2025/26 on Thursday at Tupras Stadyum.

Shakhtar began their journey to the 2025/26 Europa League with a first leg against Finnish side Ilves in the first qualifying round. The Ukrainians put in a fantastic attacking display in the home game, scoring six goals without reply to make the second leg a mere formality - it ended 0-0 in Finland.

Besiktas, unlike Shakhtar, had the privilege of skipping the first qualifying round. To compensate for the lack of competitive football, the Turkish team played four friendlies before the start of the Europa League qualifiers. They remained unbeaten in the first two matches, but were unable to win the last two games of the pre-season tour, losing 3:2 to WAC and 2:1 to Petrzalka.

Besiktas - Shakhtar Donetsk Betting Tips: Shakhtar Donetsk to Win or Draw (X2)

Shakhtar already proved their scoring prowess in the first qualifying round against Ilves, beating the Finnish side 6-0 in two games. It is understandable that Besiktas are far superior to the team from Ilves, as they have always played in the group stage in recent years. Nevertheless, Shakhtar are still better placed in Europe and based on the first qualifying round result alone, they should be more than capable of at least a draw on Thursday.