Preview

September 18, Kharkiv, OSK Metalist, 22:00
Live broadcast on Futbol 2 channel

Before the match

The draw uniquely brought together the Champions of Ukraine and England in the group stage of the strongest club tournament in Europe for the third consecutive year. Shakhtar and Manchester City perfectly studied each other even after the first meetings in 2017 – aggregately, the opponents have met two times both in Kharkiv and in Manchester.

The latest encounter at the OSK Metalist will open another European season for the Orange-and-Blacks. As of Monday, they have sold over 33,000 tickets, with the fans still having the opportunity to buy a ticket of any category. Shakhtar are taking part in the Champions League group stage for the 14th time, on 6 occasions they began their journey with a win (vs Celtic, Basel, Partizan, Nordsjaelland, Real Sociedad, Napoli) and twice with a draw (vs Athletic Club, Hoffenheim).
 
The Miners have been successfully performing at the start of the season, having claimed 7 victories in 7 rounds and going clear in the Ukrainian league table. It was not easy for them this last weekend after the international break; although, in the absence of the manager Luis Castro, the team showed character and achieved the maximum result vs Zorya (4-3). The decisive second-half brace was scored by Junior Moraes, who now boasts 7 goals in 7 UPL appearances.

The participation in the game vs Manchester City of Taison is questionable after he suffered a concussion on the football field on Saturday. Also, David Khocholava has missed the recent games due to injury.

Opponents
 
Last season, Manchester City won all domestic trophies: the Premier League title, the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, and the FA Community Shield. However, the Citizens have not yet managed to reach the Champions League final, although they have regularly advanced to the knockout phase for 6 years in a row.

Over the last year, the team almost have not changed: the central midfielder Rodri has joined the stating XI, with fullbacks Joao Cancelo and Angelino also joining the team (with Kyle Walker and Oleksandr Zinchenko being the first-choice players for those roles), however, City parted with Vincent Kompani, Elyakim Mangala, Danilo, and Fabian Delf. Josep Guardiola experienced some personnel issues due to central defenders’ injuries, with only Laporte being currently injured, while Otamendi, Stones and, if necessary, Fernandinho, are ready to play in this role.

After beating Liverpool in a penalty shootout in the EFL Cup, the City defeated West Ham (5-0) in the English Premier League, also being tied with Tottenham Hotspur (2-2), defeating Bournemouth (3-1) and thrashing Brighton (4-0). An unexpected outcome happened in the 5th round vs Norwich: the City suffered an away defeat, flying to Kharkiv in order to prove themselves to the fans.

Head-to-head record

For 11 years, the Miners have played 11 games vs the sides of Josep Guardiola (5 vs Barcelona, 2 vs Bayern, and 4 vs City). Shakhtar have a negative statistic against Manchester City: +1= 0-3, 2-12.

Previous meeting

On November 7, 2018, only the hosts scored at the City of Manchester Stadium: Jesus netted 2 of 3 goals from the spot; with Silva, Sterling, and Marez scoring once each.