Shakhtar Donetsk Has Slight Edge To Win

Published on August 4th, 2015 7:36 pm EST
The second legs of the UEFA Champions League third round qualifying matches are taking place this week. The winners of these matches will move on to the playoff rounds, which take place later this month.

One of Wednesday's games will pit Shakhtar Donetsk against Fenerbahce. Shakhtar Donetsk, which will be playing in front of their home fans on Wednesday, have the control in this match thanks to a 0-0 draw in Turkey last week. The Ukrainian Premier League members will only have to win in order to advance to the Champions League playoff rounds later in the month.

Here are the current odds for this match:

Shakhtar Donetsk, 1.80
Draw, 3.30
Fenerbahce, 5.00

According to these odds, Shakhtar Donetsk is better than even money to win, while Fenerbahce is a substantial underdog.

While Fenerbahce only needs a draw (that isn't a scoreless draw) to advance, Shakhtar Donetsk will be playing in front of their rowdy hometown fans, so the advantage will be theirs.

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According to the bookmakers, here are the three likeliest outcomes of Wednesday's match:

Shakhtar Donetsk Wins 1-0, 6.50
1-1 Draw, 7.50
Shakhtar Donetsk Wins 2-0, 8.00

In the first and last scenarios, Shakhtar Donetsk would advance to the next round. If Fenerbahce manages to play to a 1-1 draw, however, they would advance by virtue of away goals.

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The over/under for Wednesday's match is set at 2.5 goals:

Under 2.5 Goals, 1.70
Over 2.5 Goals, 2.05

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This should be a great match - who do you think will take it?