The Olimpiysky National Sports Complex is the stage for this highly-anticipated encounter as Shakhtar takes on AS Monaco in the UCL playoffs round. Read on for our expert tips and predictions.

A 19th-minute strike from Pedrinho settled the first leg tie as Roberto de Zerbi's men picked up a huge victory. With all to play for this Wednesday, we expect to see top quality football all around.

Highly-anticipated encounter on the cards

Shakhtar Donetsk just managed to pick up the first-leg victory while being under the cosh for most of the game. Nonetheless, they celebrated a hard-fought 1-0 victory at the Stade Louis II and would be keen on finishing the job in Ukraine. Fast forward to last weekend, they picked up their fourth win in five league games beating Chornomorets Odessa 3-0 as they look to regain their league crown from Dynamo Kyiv.

Things haven't been as sweet for Niko Kovac's troops in the French Ligue 1 as his boys are finding it hard to juggle continental and domestic matches. AS Monaco was in the title discussion for most of the 2020/2021 campaign, however, they have started this new season abysmally failing to win any of their first three Ligue 1 matches. That loss at home to Shakhtar Donetsk was succeeded by another poor result at home against Lens who picked up a 2-0 win. How would they fare this Wednesday?

Shakhtar Donetsk vs As Monaco Team News

Shakhtar Donetsk possible starting XI:

Trubin; Dodo, Vitao, Marlon, Matvienko; Antonio, Patrick; Tete, Pedrinho, Solomon; Traore

AS Monaco possible starting XI:

Majecki; Sidibe, Maripan, Badiashile, Jakobs; Martins, Fofana, Tchouameni, Diop; Ben Yedder, Volland

Shakhtar Donetsk vs AS Monaco Prediction: 2-1

AS Monaco were wasteful in front of goal in the first leg having fired 16 shots compared to their opponents' 6. Shakhtar Donetsk has lost just once since the start of their competitive season and given they're a regular in the UEFA Champions League group stages, we see them sending AS Monaco to the Europa League.