Win for Shakhtar Donetsk ahead of facing Bayern in Champions League

Shakhtar Donetsk beat Vorskla Poltava 3-1 in Ukrainian Premier League on Thursday ahead of their Champions League meeting with Bayern, which will be played in Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday. The result keeps Shakhtar on the heels of the top two. Brazilian Newerton put the home side ahead after 14 minutes, with Georgiy Sudakov and Lassina Traore making it 3-0 for half-time. Ivan Nesterenko got a consolation for Poltava with 15 minutes left to go in Lviv. Shakhtar have 33 points from 15 games in third place, trailing Dynamo Kyiv and Oleksandriya, who are tied on 37 at the top.

The Ukrainian champions are unbeaten in 11 games in their domestic league. In the Champions League, Marino Pusic’s side occupy 26th place after three defeats from five games, having also drawn 0-0 with Bologna and beaten Young Boys 2-1. If they want to get into the play-off spots for the last 16, they will need wins in their final three games.

Bayern learned their opponents for the 2025 Club World Cup on Thursday: