Will Mike Tullberg (l.) get Borussia Dortmund back to winning ways against Shakhtar Donetsk and into the UEFA Champions League last 16? - © Imago

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Borussia Dortmund vs. Shakhtar Donetsk: UEFA Champions League probable teams, match stats and LIVE blog!

26.01.2025

Borussia Dortmund can still secure automatic qualification to the UEFA Champions League last 16 when they take on Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday (kick-off: 9pm CET).

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As one of five teams on 12 points after seven league phase games, Dortmund could yet finish as high as fifth and book a place straight through to the knockouts. They need to beat Shakhtar for that to happen, though, whilst hoping the teams around them slip up. A play-off berth is at least in the bag, despite an alarmingly hot and cold campaign that cost Nuri Şahin his job as head coach on the back of last week's 2-1 defeat at Bologna - their fourth in a row in all competitions since the turn of the year. Mike Tullberg was immediately parachuted in from the U19s, the interim senior boss stemming the tide in a 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday. The Dane will remain in the dugout against Shakhtar, but may shuffle his pack for his Champions League debut - especially with question-marks over the fitness of midfielder Felix Nmecha. Defender Waldemar Anton, midfield all-rounder Marcel Sabitzer and forward Maximilian Beier are among the candidates to come back in.

The element of the unknown only adds to the size of the task facing Shakhtar. The Ukrainians have lost four of seven games in the revamped league phase, including a chastening 5-1 defeat to Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich, played at their adpoted European home of Dortmund's arch-rivals Schalke's Veltins Arena. They're currently three points outside play-off contention, but last week's surprise win over Brest - the club's only competitive outing so far in 2025 due to the Ukrainian Premier League's extended winter break - has given them an outside chance of sneaking through on goal difference. That would require Marino Pušić's team to do what no other Donetsk side has done before: take a win at Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park. The absence of Brazilian forward Equinaldo, who picked up a hamstring strain against Brest, doesn't help their cause.

Watch: Who is Mike Tullberg?

Match stats

Serhou Guirassy has been directly involved in nine goals in seven Champions League games for Dortmund this season (seven of his own, plus two assists). He could become just the third player to hit double figures for the club in a single Champions League campaign, after Robert Lewandowski in 2012/13 and Erling Haaland in 2020/21 (both 12).
With two goals for Rennes, as well as four goals and one assist for BVB, Guirassy could also become the first player in Champions League history to score or assist in his first six home Champions League appearances.
Dortmund are unbeaten in four previous meetings with Shakhtar in European competition (W3, D1), most recently eliminating the Ukrainians from the 2012/13 Champions League last 16.
Beaten by Barcelona on Matchday 6, BVB haven’t lost consecutive Champions League home games since April/September 2017, and never within the same season.
Only one of Dortmund's last 10 head coaches has lost his first Champions League match for the club (W6, D3). That man was Peter Bosz, who oversaw a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in November 2017.
BVB have conceded just two first-half goals across their previous 17 Champions League home fixtures. In stark contrast, 15 of the last 17 goals they’ve conceded at Signal Iduna Park have fallen in the second half.

Probable teams

Dortmund: Kobel - Ryerson, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini - Groß, Can (c), Brandt - Adeyemi, Guirassy, Gittens
Out: Süle (ankle)
Doubtful: Nmecha (knee)
Coach: Mike Tullberg

Shakhtar: Riznyk - Konoplia, Bondar, Matviyenko (c), Ghram - Gomes - Zubkov, Bondarenko, Sudakov, Kevin - Traoré
Out: Eguinaldo (hamstring)
Doubtful: -
Coach: Marino Pušić

LIVE blog!

Dortmund

Wed, 29.01 20:00

Shakhtar

Champions League
League phase, Matchday 8 League phase, Matchday 8 Signal Iduna Park

The story so far: Shakhtar Donetsk

Shakhtar, who have been playing their home games not far from Dortmund in Gelsenkirchen, currently sit in 27th, just inside the elimination places on seven points. They have won two, drawn one and lost four of their games so far, with one of those two wins coming in their recent game against Brest (2-0). They are managed by former Cologne midfielder Marino Pušić, who represented their second team between 1994-95.

The story so far: Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund sit in 14th on 12 points, just one point behind Leverkusen in 8th. They currently sit in the seeded playoff places, but will hope a home victory can fire them into the automatic advancement spots (into the round of 16). They have lost their previous two games in the competition (3-2 vs Barcelona, 2-1 vs Bologna) but showed plenty of promise against Hansi Flick's side despite the result, and also put seven past Celtic in the early stages of the competition.

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Watch: Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Werder Bremen - highlights

Life after Nuri Şahin started with a 2-2 at home to Werder Bremen for Dortmund. They took a two-goal lead despite being a man down after Nico Schlotterbeck's early sending off, before conceding two second-half goals to see them draw.

Welcome!

Thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of Borussia Dortmund's eighth and final game of the UEFA Champions League's 2024/25 league phase at home to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday, with all 18 fixtures being played simultaneously on the final matchday.