Matchday 1 of the group stage of the 2025/26 Conference League between Aberdeen (Scotland) and Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) will take place on October 2 at Pittodrie Stadium. Aberdeen vs. Shakhtar Donetsk: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Aberdeen
For the Scots, the match against Shakhtar will be their debut in the current Conference League season, but it's not the club's first game in this European campaign. The team began their international journey with playoff matches against Romanian FCSB in the Europa League, where Aberdeen lost with an aggregate score of 2-5. This will be the third time the Scots participate in the Conference League: in the 2021/22 season, the club failed to pass the final round of qualification, and two years later, Aberdeen was eliminated after the group stage, finishing third in their group. Notably, the team's scoring streak in this European competition has lasted for seven matches.
- Both teams scored in 6 of Aberdeen's last 7 Conference League games.
- At least 2 goals were scored in the Scots' previous 7 matches in this tournament.
- The club conceded in 11 of their last 12 Conference League matches.
Predicted lineup for Aberdeen (3-4-3)
Dimitar Mitov – Kristers Tobers, Jack Milne, Mats Knuster – Nicky Devlin, Ante Palaversa, Graeme Shinnie, Emmanuel Djamfi – Adil Aouchiche, Jesper Karlsson, Kevin Nisbet.
Main midfielder Alexander Jensen is suspended.
Shakhtar Donetsk
Arda Turan's side has already covered significant ground on the international stage. The team started from the first qualifying round of the Europa League, where they eliminated Finnish Ilves, and in the next stage, they defeated Turkish Besiktas. In the third round, Shakhtar was knocked out by Greek Panathinaikos, losing only in a penalty shootout. In the Conference League playoffs, the Ukrainians overcame Swiss Servette with some difficulty. Thus, the team earned the right to participate in the main tournament of the Conference League for the first time. Notably, Shakhtar has not lost in regulation time in their 8 matches of the current European season.
- No more than 2 goals were scored in regulation time in the club's last 5 matches in the Europa League and Conference League.
- A draw occurred in regulation time in 5 of Shakhtar's last 7 games in these tournaments.
- The team conceded at least 1 goal in 5 of their last 7 away European matches.
Predicted lineup for Shakhtar (4-4-2)
Dmytro Riznyk – Yukhym Konoplya, Valerii Bondar, Mykola Matviyenko, Pedro Henrique – Artem Bondarenko, Marlon Gomes, Dmytro Kryskiv, Pedrinho – Isake Severino, Luka Meirelles.
Forwards Alisson Santana and Lassina Traore are injured.
Referee
Duje Strukan (Croatia)
Matches – 6 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 29;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.8;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 21;
Penalties – 33%.
Match Prediction: Aberdeen vs. Shakhtar Donetsk
Many consider Aberdeen as the clear underdog in this matchup, yet the Scots have previously proven they are ready to compete against opponents of various levels. Even when the team doesn't earn points, they often manage to keep the suspense until the final whistle. In their last 5 Conference League matches, the club suffered only 1 defeat, and even then by a narrow margin. At home, Aberdeen hasn't lost by more than a one-goal margin in 5 of their last 6 Conference League matches.
Shakhtar, on the other hand, has won in regulation time in only 5 of their last 19 European matches. In their last 4 international games, the result after 90 minutes was a draw. It's worth noting that away games are particularly challenging for the team. The Ukrainians have won in regulation time in just 1 of their last 11 away European matches.
I believe Shakhtar is in for another tough and close match. Prediction: Aberdeen with a handicap (+1.5)
* The starting lineup for each team is based on their last match.
