Shakhtar vs Inter: Nerazzurri look to bounce back
Inter will be looking to bounce back as they travel to face Shakhtar Donestsk on matchday two of the Champions League on Tuesday.
This match will also have an all-Italian flair as the Ukrainian outfit now have Roberto De Zerbi on the tactician’s bench. That name will be a very familiar one for Serie A fans, as De Zerbi managed Sassuolo for three seasons, during which he guided the Neroverdi to very impressive back to back eighth place finishes in the league – a good achievement for a small club that only made their Serie A debut in 2013. Clearly impressed by his work, Shakhtar decided to take a punt on him and brought him in over the summer as they look to continue challenging for silverware, and so far their investment has paid off. Earlier this month, De Zerbi guided Shakhtar to success in the Ukrainian Super Cup, becoming the first Italian manager to achieve this feat.
It will be the third consecutive season in which Inter have to play Shakhtar in European competition. The 2019/2020 Europa League semifinals pitted the Nerazzurri against the Ukrainian side, during which the Italian giants cruised to a 5-0 win. Because of COVID-19, the tournament’s remaining knockout rounds were played as one-off affairs as opposed to the traditional two-legged format. During the 2020/2021 Champions League, Inter were again paired with Shakhtar, and recorded a pair of very disappointing scoreless stalemates and ultimately finished last in their quartet.
Shakhtar come into this match second in their domestic league, three points behind the league leaders. The hosts have lost just one of their last nine league games, while winning seven times, and successfully booked their spot in the Champions League group stages after beating both Genk and Monaco. Their star man this season is Lassina Traore, with the 20-year-old Burkinabé international having scored six in the league and nine across all comps, including a brace in the team’s win during the Ukrainian Super Cup. However, De Zerbi does have a bit of a selection headache on his hands, with Evgeny Konoplyanka, Valery Bondar and Georgy Sudakov all having to train separately and thus are in doubt for the game, while Fernando and Dentinho are definite absentees.
Like Inter, who lost 1-0 to Real Madrid, Shakhtar also failed to win their Champions League opener, going 2-0 down to fellow Eastern European outfit Sheriff. Most concerning for the hosts, though, is the fact that Sheriff are making their debut in this tournament and theoretically should represent the easiest team in this quartet, as they will have to face not just the Nerazzurri but also Real Madrid, so it’s safe to say that De Zerbi will be looking to get something out of this match.
Simone Inzaghi, naturally will be looking for exactly the same, but all three points are a must as Real Madrid should be able to deal with Sheriff without much fuss. Inter arrive having dropped two more points in the league following a 2-2 draw with Atalanta, which leaves them in third spot, four points behind early league leaders Napoli. Still, there’s plenty of football between now and May for the reigning Scudetto champions, but for now, they’ll be fully focused on reviving their fortunes in the Champions League.
Inter certainly will be encouraged by the fact that Shakhtar have never beaten them in European competition, with three draws and two losses to date. In addition, their upcoming hosts have won just four of their last 20 Champions League games and have been knocked out of the group stage in 11 of their last 15 appearances in this competition. That being said, Inter haven’t done that well in the UCL, either. Despite being the last Italian club to win it, that was back in 2010, and overall, they’ve won just three of their last 17 matches, while losing eight times and as noted before, finished last in their group during the 2020/2021 season – even behind Shakhtar, who pipped them to third.
So will Inter be able to get their European campaign back on track after a wobbly start? Or will De Zerbi, who did guide Sassuolo to wins over Inter in Serie A during his three seasons with the Neroverdi, spring yet another surprise as he also aims to help his new team turn things around?
