Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Bosuilstadion will host Tuesday’s football match between Antwerp and Shakhtar Donetsk, who meet for the first time in the Champions League group stages. Antwerp were hammered by Barcelona (0-5) in their opener, but they are surely capable of matching the Ukrainian outfit in front of home fans. Keep in mind, though, that all Corbanie, Engels, Ondrejka, Verhulst, and Vines are out of contention through injuries.
The Minners, on the other hand, suffered a shocking 2-1 loss to Vorskla Poltava in their last league match and given their shaky defence, we believe that there is a big value in betting on the home side. Burkina Faso forward Lassina Traore remains on the sidelines with injury, but he should be the only absentee in the visiting team. It has to be noted that Shakhtar Donetsk experienced all sorts of problems at the back in a 3-1 loss to Porto in their opener.
Highlighted Team (Antwerp):
Founded back in 1880, Antwerp is one of the oldest clubs in Belgium. The Great Old welcome their rivals at Bosuilstadion, the venue with the capacity of 16,144 people. Antwerp are well known for their red home kits, with the team wearing white shirts and white jerseys when playing on the travels.
Over the years Antwerp have been trying to close the gap between Belgian giants Anderlecht and Club Brugge, but they have yet to win the title in the recent history. The Great Old clinched their first domestic trophy back in 1929, with the team repeating the success two years later. The third and the fourth titles came in 1944 and 1957 respectively.
Beerschot A.C. are considered the club’s fiercest rivals, but they have a rivalry with Club Brugge as well. The club chiefs had a long-term partnership with famous English club Manchester United in the past, with Antwerp taking young footballers on loan to Old Trafford.