Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Beşiktaş: Predicted 11's, how to watch and squad news

Our representative, Beşiktaş, is set to face Shakhtar Donetsk in a critical UEFA Europa League 2nd Qualifying Round return leg away from home. The Black Eagles will take to the pitch aiming to secure their spot in the next round, while Arda Turan's side will look to protect their first-leg advantage.

The Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Beşiktaş match will kick off at 9:00 PM (GMT+3) on Thursday, July 31, 2025. The highly anticipated match will be held at Henryka Reymana Stadium and will be broadcast live on HT Spor.

Predicted starting lineups:

• Shakhtar Donetsk: Riznyk, Bondar, Pedrinho, Matviyenko, Konoplia, Gomes, Sudakov, Ocheretko, Eguinaldo, Kevin, Alisson.
• Beşiktaş: Mert, Svensson, Paulista, Uduokhai, Jurasek, Rashica, Demir Ege, Mario, Rafa Silva, Semih, Abraham.

Beşiktaş's defensive struggles in Europe

Beşiktaş has consistently faced challenges in keeping clean sheets in European competitions over the past three seasons. In 23 matches during this period, the Black Eagles have managed to keep a clean sheet for the full 90 minutes on only four occasions. In these last 23 European encounters, Beşiktaş has conceded 42 goals while scoring 41.

Historical clashes against Ukrainian teams

Beşiktaş has a history of 15 encounters against Ukrainian teams in European competitions. The Black Eagles have faced Dynamo Kyiv 12 times, Metalist Kharkiv twice, and Shakhtar Donetsk once (excluding the first leg of the current tie). Across UEFA Champions League, European Champion Clubs' Cup, UEFA Cup, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Conference League matches, Beşiktaş has recorded 5 wins, 2 draws, and 8 losses against Ukrainian opposition. In these 15 matches, Beşiktaş has scored 14 goals while conceding 34.

133rd match in Europe's second-tier competition

This match will mark Beşiktaş's 133rd appearance in Europe's second-tier club competition. The Black Eagles have previously played 132 matches in the tournament, which began as the Fairs Cities Cup in 1955, was rebranded as the UEFA Cup from the 1971-1972 season, and has been known as the UEFA Europa League since 2009-2010. Beşiktaş has won 57 of these matches, drawn 25, and lost 50. In these 132 games, the "Black Eagles" have scored 209 goals while conceding 178.

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Shakhtar Donetsk's undefeated record against Turkish sides

The Ukrainian side boasts an impressive undefeated record against Turkish teams in European competitions. Shakhtar Donetsk has faced Fenerbahçe, Başakşehir, Konyaspor, Sivasspor, and Beşiktaş in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, playing a total of 9 matches (including the first leg against Beşiktaş). They have won 8 of these encounters. Their only draw was a 0-0 stalemate against Fenerbahçe. In these matches, Shakhtar has scored 21 goals while conceding only 3.

Oktay Derelioğlu leads European goal scorers for Beşiktaş

Oktay Derelioğlu holds the top spot as Beşiktaş's all-time leading scorer in European competitions, with 14 goals netted between 1993 and 1999. He is followed by Vincent Aboubakar and Cenk Tosun, who both have 13 goals each. Portuguese winger Ricardo Quaresma and Brazilian striker Bobo also feature prominently, each having scored 12 goals in European competitions for the Black Eagles.

Among the current squad, Gedson Fernandes has 5 goals, Rafa Silva has 3, Milot Rashica, Salih Uçan, and Semih Kılıçsoy each have 2 goals, while Al-Musrati, Emrecan Terzi, Ernest Muçi, Tayfur Bingöl, Necip Uysal, Tammy Abraham, and Joao Mario have each scored once.

Team news: Absences for Beşiktaş

Beşiktaş faces several injury concerns ahead of the Shakhtar Donetsk match. Mustafa Hekimoğlu and Can Keleş remain sidelined with injuries. The condition of Orkun Kökçü, who has fluid in his knee, will be assessed after today's final training session to determine his availability for the match.

Additionally, Gedson Fernandes will not be part of the squad as he continues transfer discussions with Russian club Spartak Moscow. Furthermore, Emrecan Uzunhan, Jean Onana, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were not included in Beşiktaş's UEFA squad list.

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How can Beşiktaş qualify?

After a 4-2 loss in the first leg, Beşiktaş needs to secure a victory by at least a three-goal margin to advance directly to the next round. Any two-goal victory for Beşiktaş (e.g., 2-0, 3-1, 4-2) would send the match into extra time. If the aggregate score remains tied after extra time, the tie would be decided by a penalty shootout.

A draw, a loss, or a one-goal defeat (e.g., 0-1, 1-2) would see the Ukrainian side, Shakhtar Donetsk, progress to the next stage.

Potential opponents for Beşiktaş in Europa League

Should Beşiktaş successfully navigate past Shakhtar Donetsk in this UEFA Europa League 2nd Qualifying Round, their potential opponents for the 3rd Qualifying Round have already been determined by last week's draw. Beşiktaş would face Panathinaikos, the losing side from the UEFA Champions League qualifier between Rangers (Scotland) and Panathinaikos (Greece).

What if Beşiktaş is eliminated?

If the Black Eagles are eliminated from the UEFA Europa League in this 2nd Qualifying Round, their European journey will continue in the UEFA Conference League. Beşiktaş would enter the UEFA Conference League 3rd Qualifying Round, where they would face the winner of the tie between St. Patrick's (Ireland) and Kalju (Estonia). In their first leg, St. Patrick's defeated Kalju 1-0. The matches for the third qualifying round are scheduled to be played on August 7 and August 14.