UCL calendar: opponents and dates
Thursday, August 30, 2018
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Shakhtar Donetsk’s fixture calendar for the 2018/19 UCL group stage
In the 1st round, Paulo Fonseca’s men will play Hoffenheim in Kharkiv on September 19. The full calendar looks as follows:
Matchday 1. September 19, 19:55. Shakhtar Donetsk v Hoffenheim
Matchday 2. October 2, 22:00. Lyon v Shakhtar Donetsk
Matchday 3. October 23, 22:00. Shakhtar Donetsk v Manchester City
Matchday 4. November 7, 22:00. Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Matchday 5. November 27, 22:00. Hoffenheim v Shakhtar Donetsk
Matchday 6. December 12, 22:00. Shakhtar Donetsk v Lyon
Let us introduce Shakhtar Donetsk’s opponents.
Manchester City
In group F, for the second year in a row, the Orange-Blacks will meet with one of the strongest teams in Europe - Manchester City. In 2018, the Citizens won the English Premier League title for the fifth time in their history, gaining a record 100 points, and in August they started the new season with winning the Community Shield trophy vs Chelsea (2-0). The Manchester City coach is Josep Guardiola, who has amassed 24 titles in his coaching career.
Matchday 1. September 19, 19:55. Shakhtar Donetsk v Hoffenheim
Matchday 2. October 2, 22:00. Lyon v Shakhtar Donetsk
Matchday 3. October 23, 22:00. Shakhtar Donetsk v Manchester City
Matchday 4. November 7, 22:00. Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Matchday 5. November 27, 22:00. Hoffenheim v Shakhtar Donetsk
Matchday 6. December 12, 22:00. Shakhtar Donetsk v Lyon
Let us introduce Shakhtar Donetsk’s opponents.
Manchester City
In group F, for the second year in a row, the Orange-Blacks will meet with one of the strongest teams in Europe - Manchester City. In 2018, the Citizens won the English Premier League title for the fifth time in their history, gaining a record 100 points, and in August they started the new season with winning the Community Shield trophy vs Chelsea (2-0). The Manchester City coach is Josep Guardiola, who has amassed 24 titles in his coaching career.
Ismaily, defender: ‘A balanced group featuring the strong teams. Last season, we also got difficult opponents, but we played successfully, also hoping to achieve a good result this year. The Champions League is a special tournament involving the best clubs of Europe. The opponents are serious, we must play up to the mark, show our strength and advance further’
In the offseason, Manchester City actually retained the same squad. In terms of signings, it’s worth noting only the signing of Algerian Riyad Mahrez - one of Leicester’s former top players, who won the Premier League title in 2016. The team’s personnel losses are not related to transfers. Because of injuries, the World Cup bronze medalist Belgian Kevin de Bruyne and the reserve goalkeeper Claudio Bravo will be missing some games.
Lyon
Lyon represent the city having the same name in France. The club was founded in 1950, won the domestic Cup in the mid-1960s, but achieved their major success at the turn of the last millennium. In 2002, the Lions became champions for the first time and retained the title for seven years, and in 2010 they reached the UCL semi-final losing to Bayern Munich.
Lyon
Lyon represent the city having the same name in France. The club was founded in 1950, won the domestic Cup in the mid-1960s, but achieved their major success at the turn of the last millennium. In 2002, the Lions became champions for the first time and retained the title for seven years, and in 2010 they reached the UCL semi-final losing to Bayern Munich.
The head coach is a 51-year-old native of Lyon, the team’s former midfielder Bruno Genesio
In the 2017/18 season, Lyon became the bronze medalists of League 1. In the summer, the main defender Mouctar Diakhaby moved to Valencia, with the second best scorer Mariano Diaz (21 goals and 7 assists) being signed up by Real Madrid. At the same time, the club intensified competition in several roles, retaining the attacking leaders (Memphis Depay and Bertrand Traore), along with the 2018 World Cup winner Nabil Fekir.
Hoffenheim
The third participant in the Champions League from Germany is Hoffenheim from the homonymous village, currently being a district of the city of Sinsheim. The club was founded in 1899.
Hoffenheim made it to the Bundesliga in 2008 after spending two years in the Regional League. Back then, the White-Blues faced some ambitious tasks, including participation in the European competitions. A year ago, they made their Champions League debut, losing to Liverpool in the playoff round, this time winning bronze medals in their domestic league and reaching the group stage directly.
Hoffenheim
The third participant in the Champions League from Germany is Hoffenheim from the homonymous village, currently being a district of the city of Sinsheim. The club was founded in 1899.
Hoffenheim made it to the Bundesliga in 2008 after spending two years in the Regional League. Back then, the White-Blues faced some ambitious tasks, including participation in the European competitions. A year ago, they made their Champions League debut, losing to Liverpool in the playoff round, this time winning bronze medals in their domestic league and reaching the group stage directly.
Hoffenheim’s first UCL group stage campaign
The team have one of the most promising young coaches in Germany - the 31-year-old Julian Nagelsmann. In 2017, he was named the Coach of Bundesliga. It is officially known that at the end of this season, he will leave Hoffenheim to take charge of RB Leipzig.
In recent years, many outstanding Hoffenheim players have moved to big clubs (Roberto Firmino, Kevin Volland, Sandro Wagner, Niklas Züle, Jeremy Toljan, Sebastian Rudy). This summer, the top scorer Mark Ut moved to Schalke 04, but they still retain the prolific Croatian Andrej KramaricThe Miners’ opponents began the season with losing to Bayern Munich (3-1), with the only goal being netted by the most experienced outfield player - the 30-year-old Adam Salay.
The 2018/19 season ticket holders can purchase a Champions League package covering all home games of Shakhtar Donetsk, saving up to 40% off compared to buying tickets. You can do so at the OSK Metalist ticket office and online (using a special access code sent via SMS).
In recent years, many outstanding Hoffenheim players have moved to big clubs (Roberto Firmino, Kevin Volland, Sandro Wagner, Niklas Züle, Jeremy Toljan, Sebastian Rudy). This summer, the top scorer Mark Ut moved to Schalke 04, but they still retain the prolific Croatian Andrej KramaricThe Miners’ opponents began the season with losing to Bayern Munich (3-1), with the only goal being netted by the most experienced outfield player - the 30-year-old Adam Salay.
The 2018/19 season ticket holders can purchase a Champions League package covering all home games of Shakhtar Donetsk, saving up to 40% off compared to buying tickets. You can do so at the OSK Metalist ticket office and online (using a special access code sent via SMS).