Contents
- Competition: UEFA Europa League - Qualifiers
- Date: Thursday, 17th, July 2025
- Kickoff: 17:00 UK / 18:00 CEST
- Venue: Tammelan Stadion (Tampere)
After suffering a disastrous result last week, Ilves return to Tammela Stadium on Thursday to host Shakhtar Donetsk, hoping to bow out of Europe with pride.
It was a dream start to life on the Donetsk bench for Arda Turan, who witnessed his team unleash a goal-scoring masterclass to obliterate Ilves 6-0 in a one-sided affair at Stadion Stozice in the heart of Ljubljana. What truly stole the spotlight beyond the emphatic result was the vibrant performance of Shakhtor’s Brazilians, with Alisson bagging two goals to spearhead the attack and teammates Kaua Elias, Kevin, Pedrinho and Newerton chipping in to complete the rout.
Ilves vs Shakhtar Donetsk Betting Tips : BTTS
Since Shakhtar have almost sealed their passage to the second qualifying round of UEFA’s secondary competition, it wouldn’t be surprising if Arda Turan opts to preserve his squad’s fitness by making subtle rotations, potentially allowing Ilves to part ways with the continental competition on a respectable note. With a mammoth six-goal lead heading into cold Finnish conditions, Shakhtar plan to take a measured stance rather than force the attack, focusing on controlled counterattacks that may ignite yet another scoring spree, though this time the scoreboard is likely to reflect goals from both sides. Despite being run over in the first leg, Ilves will certainly be eager to produce a more respectable performance in front of their home fans and will be confident of making an impact on the scoreboard, having demonstrated a great attacking instinct with at least two goals netted in seven of their first eight outings at Tammela. Shakhtar’s attacking firepower is hard to dispute, as they followed up their ruthless demolition of Ilves with another five-star offensive masterclass against Grosuplje in a friendly, so we fully expect an open and entertaining clash in Finland where both teams should be brimming with attacking intent and find the net without much resistance.
FC Ilves vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk Head to Head (H2H) stats
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FC Shakhtar Donetsk
6 : 0
FC Ilves
Europa League
Ilves team news
Ilves have no reported absentees, but after suffering a six-goal thrashing in the first leg, several changes to the starting XI are expected for Thursday’s clash.
Nigerian forward Adeleke Akinyemi missed out on the first leg, but he’s expected to be in contention for the return match, with his ability to add attacking spark near goal.
Last matches of FC Ilves
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FC Ilves
3 : 2
VPS Vaasa
Veikkausliiga
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FC Shakhtar Donetsk
6 : 0
FC Ilves
Europa League
-
SJK
1 : 1
FC Ilves
Veikkausliiga
-
Haka
0 : 4
FC Ilves
Veikkausliiga
-
FC Ilves
2 : 3
SJK
Veikkausliiga
FC Ilves lineup
Goalkeeper
-
1
Otso Virtanen
Defenders
-
3
Matias Rale
-
5
Sauli Väisänen
-
22
Aapo Mäenpää
Midfielders
-
19
Oiva Jukkola
-
7
Joona Veteli
-
14
Anton Popovitch
-
13
Kalle Wallius
Forwards
-
8
Maksim Stjopin
-
10
Roope Riski
-
17
Marius Söderbäck
Shakhtar Donetsk team news
Meanwhile, Donetsk club continues to be without Diego Arroyo, Danylo Udod, and key midfielder Dmytro Kryskiv, as all three remain sidelined with injuries.
After a brilliant start to his tenure on Shakhtar’s bench, guiding them to a ruthless 6-0 win over Ilves, coach Arda Turan is expected to make some rotations to rest key players.
Last matches of FC Shakhtar Donetsk
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FC Shakhtar Donetsk
6 : 0
FC Ilves
Europa League
-
Rukh Vynnyky
1 : 1
FC Shakhtar Donetsk
Premier League
-
Inhulets
1 : 4
FC Shakhtar Donetsk
Premier League
-
FC Shakhtar Donetsk
6 : 5
Dynamo Kyiv
Ukrainian Cup
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Zorya Luhansk
0 : 0
FC Shakhtar Donetsk
Premier League
FC Shakhtar Donetsk lineup
Goalkeeper
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31
Dmytro Riznyk
Defenders
-
13
Pedro Henrique
-
22
Mykola Matvienko
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5
Valeriy Bondar
-
26
Yukhym Konoplya
Midfielders
-
6
Marlon Gomes
-
11
Kevin
-
10
Georgiy Sudakov
-
21
Artem Bondarenko
-
30
Alisson
Forwards
-
19
Kauã Elias
3 Reasons why we expect BTTS
- Ilves have scored 2+ goals in seven of their first eight matches at Tammela.
- Ilves have conceded an incredible eight goals in their last two competitive matches.
- Shakhtar have accumulated 11 goals during their most recent two appearances in any format.
Main prediction FC Ilves - FC Shakhtar Donetsk
Both Teams to Score
Best Odds: