An incredible start in the first two rounds allowed Shakhtar Donetsk to qualify seriously for qualifying from the group. Luis Castro’s charges sensationally defeated Real Madrid (3:2) in Spain and also played a draw with Inter (0:0) at home. Such results made the Pitmen the leaders of the quartet, whereas the victory in the upcoming meeting will allow the Ukrainians to break away from one of the main competitors. However, the problem is that Shakhtar have not won at home for a long time. The Pitmen have already failed to win seven home matches in the Champions League in a row. In the previous tournament the Ukrainian club lost at home to Atalanta (0:3) and Manchester City (0:3) and also tied with Dynamo Zagreb (2:2). Unavailable from Shakhtar for this match is Ismaily. The participation of Evgeny Konoplyanka, Fernando Pedro and Viktor Kovalenko is questionable. Mamadou Ducourt, Denis Zakaria and Andreas Poulsen were injured at Borussia.
Still very much in the running for advancement to the next round of the IPL, Kings XI Punjab will be hopeful of a positive result in this upcoming contest. They currently sit fourth on the log, level on points with RR and KKR – both of whom are behind them. They were made to succumb to victory against RR on the last matchday, losing out by seven wickets. Rahul was critical of his players after the game, reiterating that he needed a better performance in the final league game. This side will need Chris Gayle in tip-top form once again. Nicholas Pooran has been equally superb this term but will need to be complemented by the inconsistent Glenn Maxwell. Chris Jordan and Deepak Hooda have sensational striking abilities, and will look to perform well in this contest. More today cricket prediction can be obtained from the link provided.
