Aberdeen vs Shakhtar Donetsk Prediction and Betting Tips

Aberdeen will go up against Shakhtar Donetsk at the Pittodrie Stadium on Thursday in the opening round of the 2025-26 UEFA Europa Conference League league phase. The hosts will be desperate to kick off their return to European football with a win.

Aberdeen were eliminated from the running for Europa League qualification by FCSB with a 5-2 aggregate loss in the playoff rounds despite finishing in fifth place in the league last season. The Scottish side have been in abysmal form this campaign with their only win in their last 10 games across all competitions coming against a newly-promoted team.

Shakhtar on the other hand, are in outstanding form having avoided defeat in normal time in their last 21 competitive games dating back to April and were only demoted to the Conference League after losing on penalties to Panathinaikos in the third round of Europa League qualification.

The Ukrainian outfit currently lead their domestic league after seven games and will be hoping to translate their domestic form when they make the trip to Scotland this week.

Aberdeen vs Shakhtar Donetsk Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

Thursday's game will mark the first ever meeting between the sides.
Aberdeen have met Ukrainian sides on two different occasions in European competitions and have drawn both games.
Shakhtar Donetsk have won two and lost two of their four meetings with Scottish teams in competitive action.
The hosts' will be appearing in the main stages of a European competition for only the second time since the 2007-08 season.
The visitors' highest finish in European football was winning the Europa League title in the 2008-09 season.

Aberdeen vs Shakhtar Donetsk Prediction

The Dons are underdogs going into the midweek clash and will need something really special to get all three points against a side in much better form. They are unlikely to receive any major boost from their home advantage on Thursday, having failed to win at the Pittodrie Stadium all season.

Hirnyky will only need to avoid complacency to get a win over the hosts and will rely on their much better squad quality.

Prediction: Aberdeen 0-2 Shakhtar Donetsk

Aberdeen vs Shakhtar Donetsk Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Result: Shakhtar

Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Under 2.5 goals (Eight of the visitors' last nine games have featured less than 2.5 goals)

Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No (Both sides have found the back of the net in just one of the visitors' last 10 matches)

About the author

Jedidiah is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who has been covering match previews for more than 3 years. Currently pursuing an engineering degree from the University of Ibadan, he conducts thorough research and ensures to be up-to-date with football news across the globe to create the most accurate previews.

A Manchester United fan, Jedidiah fell in love with football and the Red Devils since their UEFA Champions League triumph over Chelsea in 2008. He is a big fan of Robert Lewandowski and his historic performances from 2020, but feels that only Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are capable of replicating the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry. His all-time favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti due to the Italian's remarkable composure in difficult moments of a contest. Spain's 1-0 win over Netherlands in the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is etched in his memory forever.

A true student of the game, Jedidiah relishes identifying hidden gems from lower-tiered leagues such as the EFL Championship and the Eredivisie. When not creating previews, he likes playing football and reading books.

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