Preview

November 27, Sinsheim, Rhein-Neckar-Arena, 22:00
Live broadcast on the Futbol 1 TV channel
 
Before the match
 
The group stage enters the home stretch. Shakhtar are sitting bottom of the group having 2 points, with Hoffenheim being 1 point ahead of the Miners. In the upcoming match, Paulo Fonseca’s men need to win in order to retain the chances of reaching the knockout stages. Simultaneously, France will host the Lyon – Manchester City game, with its outcome also being crucial in terms of spot distribution.
 
After the international break, the Orange-and-Blacks had a difficult game vs Lviv, which ended 0-0. The Ukraine internationals Mykola Matviienko and Taras Stepanenko remained on the bench after being back from the international duty. After the game, Paulo Fonseca pointed out that the coaching staff would assess the players’ form and try to prepare them for the encounter with Hoffenheim. Marlos is still recovering.
  
Opponents
 
Hoffenheim have made their Champions League group stage debut this season, repeatedly showing mettle and power. After the early combative draw with Shakhtar, the team of Julian Nagelsmann scored a goal vs Man. City in the very 1st minute at home, still failing to withstand the pressure of the Champions of England (1-2).
 
The meetings with Lyon do stand alone. In Sinsheim, the Blue-Whites were behind on two occasions, still managing to snatch a draw in injury time (3-3); in the away game, they left for the break at 0-2, being left with ten men early in the second half, still netting two goals and being tied with the Frenchmen again.
 
The Germans have enjoyed a three-game unbeaten home run: a draw with Lyon, plus victories over Stuttgart (4-0) and Augsburg (2-1). It is worth mentioning that Hoffenheim scored goals in absolutely all home games this season in both the Champions League and the Bundesliga. Before taking on Shakhtar, Nagelsmann's players had a super-productive game vs Hertha in Berlin (3-3). In general, in the domestic league, they enjoy a 5-round unbeaten run.
 
Previous game
 
In Kharkiv on September 19, the visitors took the lead in the 6th minute (Grillitsch sent home a Bittencourt delivery). Midway through the first half, Shakhtar equalised (Ismaily), with Hoffenheim netting another one before the break: Nordtveit finished off a Kramaric corner kick. In the second half, the Bundesliga bronze medalists safely defended until the 81st minute, when Maycon’s cannon shot brought Shakhtar their first points in the group – 2-2.