Shakhtar Donetsk vs Servette Prediction and Betting Tips

Shakhtar Donetsk will be up against Servette at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium on Thursday in the first leg of their 2025-26 UEFA Conference League play-off round qualifying clash. The Ukrainian club have enjoyed a positive start to their domestic campaign, most recently beating Veres Rivne 2-0 and will hope to carry that momentum onto the continental stage this week.

They participated in the Europa League qualifiers earlier in the summer but were knocked out in the last round after losing on penalties to Greek side Panathinaikos following a goalless draw across two legs.

Servette, meanwhile, began their quest for continental football in the Champions League qualifiers but were knocked out in the second round following a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Viktoria Plzen. They were then relegated to the Europa League qualifiers but were immediately knocked out after losing 5-2 on aggregate to Utrecht.

The Swiss club find themselves in a precarious situation with their last chance at European football this term being the Conference League, and they will be looking to take a step closer towards that goal with a win on Thursday.

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

Thursday's game will mark the third meeting between Shakhtar and Servette.
The two teams faced off for the first time in the second round of the 1983-94 UEFA Cup Winner's Cup, with the Miners winning the two-legged tie 3-1 on aggregate.
Shakhtar have had 13 competitive meetings against Swiss opposition. They have won nine of those games, drawn once and lost the other three.
Servette have kept just one clean sheet in their last seven games across all competitions.
Neither side have ever appeared in the main stages of the Conference League.

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Servette Prediction

Hirnyky's latest result ended a three-game winless streak and they will be looking to kick on from that this week. They have no 'home advantage' this week, with the first-leg tie set to be held in Poland, but they remain favorites to win nonetheless.

Similarly, the Maroons saw their latest result end a six-game winless run. The sheer gulf in class and quality between the two teams could, however, see the Super League club return to their old ways this week.

Prediction: Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 Servette

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Servette Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Result: Shakhtar Donetsk to win

Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 goals (Six of the visitors' last seven matches have produced more than 2.5 goals)

Tip 3 - Both teams to score: YES (Both sides have found the back of the net in six of the visitors' last seven 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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