Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona Prediction 07.11.2023

• Competition: UEFA Champions League - Group H
• Date: Tuesday, 7th, November 2023
• Kickoff: 17:45 UTC / 18:45 CEST
• Venue: Volksparkstadion (Hamburg)

Barcelona is on the verge of a comeback to the Champions League knockout phase after a two-year hiatus, and they're set to visit Shakhtar on neutral ground at Volksparkstadion for the fourth round of Group H on Tuesday.

With a pale three points to their name, the Miners from Donetsk currently sit third in their group, trailing second-placed Porto by just three points, meaning they are still in the running for the last ticket worth a place in the knockout stages. Achieving this goal, however, will be anything but straightforward, considering their lone victory in the early stages of this Champions League campaign came against the group underdogs, Royal Antwerp, and that too in a dramatic fashion, overcoming a two-goal deficit to pull off a stunning 3-2 comeback.

After several disappointing and gloomy years in top-tier club competition, including consecutive failures to progress beyond the group stage in their last two campaigns, Barcelona finds itself on the perfect path to break their two-year drought and re-enter the knockout phase. Despite being miles away from the prestigious 'big-eared' trophy, the Catalan giant has demonstrated its dominance over the competition in the first three gameweeks of the Champions League, achieving a perfect nine points and solidifying their position as the unrivaled leaders of Group H.

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona Betting Tips: Under 3.5

Despite a drastic decline in Shakhtar's quality after the departure of Brazilian talents, we have full confidence that the Ukrainian giant will put up a strong resistance on Tuesday, just as they did on Spanish soil, where they narrowly fell to Barcelona with a 1-2 score. To become serious contenders again, especially for the 'big-eared' trophy, Xavi must address the offensive issues first, given that his Barcelona has been anything but impressive in front of the opponent's goal lately, failing to score more than once in three of their last four matches across all competitions. 

Even with the return of Robert Lewandowski, the Catalan outfit looked rather unconvincing in attack during the weekend clash, but in the end, with quite a bit of luck, they left San Sebastian with all three points thanks to Ronald Araujo's goal in the second minute of stoppage time. Without a doubt, Barcelona has become a specialist in narrow victories, with their triumph over Real Sociedad marking their fourth such win in the last five successes, each time with a minimal score of 1-0.

The gap in quality between these sides is glaring, making it difficult to envision anything but an away victory. Nevertheless, considering Barcelona's recent struggles in the attacking third, we foresee another slender win characterized by a low-scoring affair.