！^＠[ＬＩＶＥ　ＳＴＲＥＡ．Ｍｓ！ Shakhtar Donetsk vs Bologna ＬＩＶＥ ＳＴＲＥＡ.Ｍ　ＯＮ　ＴＶ　Ｃｈａｎｎｅｌ　18 September　２０２４

Get real-time updates on Bologna vs Shakhtar Donetsk live coverage minute by minute of the match, score and result online, stream information, how to watch, TV channel, lineups, latest updates and time of the UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 with VAVEL. Game will start at 12:45 PM ET on September 18th, 2024.

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The first round of Champions League fixtures has already produced some really entertaining games, and we're expecting more of the same between Bologna and Shakhtar Donetsk. Sure, these aren't the biggest teams competing in the competition, but these evenly-matched teams could produce something special.

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When is Bologna vs. Shakhtar Donetsk?

Bologna vs. Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League kicks off at 5:45 p.m. BST on Sept. 18. This fixture takes place at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara.

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Thiago Motta was responsible for guiding the Serie A club back into the big time following a fifth-place finish last season, but Juventus swooped for the former midfielder in the summer and several of the players responsible for Bologna's idiosyncratic brilliance have also moved on.

Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee are among those who opted for pastures new after enjoying excellent campaigns under Motta.

The summer turnover has facilitated a slow start to 2024/25 under former Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano. Bologna sit 17th in Serie A after rescuing a point against Como on Sunday.

Shakhtar Donetsk are much more familiar with this competition but have rarely progressed into the knockout stages. Outside of their games against Bayern Munich and Arsenal, their league phase doesn't appear too daunting on paper, and they may well fancy their chances of at least securing a play-off berth. The Ukrainians have endured a mixed start to their domestic campaign, though, losing two of their opening five games.

Bologna begin their Champions League campaign when they host Shakhtar Donetsk at the Renato Dall'Ara Stadium. Bologna vs. Shakhtar Donetsk is set to kick off at 12:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, live on CBS Sports TV platforms and streaming on Paramount+, YouTube TV, Fubo and other streaming platforms.

Bologna is a consensus -110 favorite on the moneyline, with Shakhtar Donetsk +320 to win outright and the odds of a draw at +250. The over/under is 2.5 goals, with the over +105 and the under -127.

Bologna had a meteoric rise up the Serie A table to finish in fifth place with 68 points and earn a spot in the Champions League. This is their first time being in a European competition since 2000, but they are entering with a different team and manager from last season. With the new league phase, these types of matches are incredibly important for both teams if they want to make the round of 16.

Shakhtar have been a mainstay in the Champions League, as this is now their eighth straight year in the Champions League. However, they have only made it to the knockout stage one time in those eight years. They are struggling early on in the Ukrainian Premier League with a record of 3-0-2 so far, so this is a good opportunity to steer the ship in the right direction.

Here are my Bologna vs. Shakhtar Donetsk predictions and Champions League preview for Wednesday, September 18.

Bologna ares not the team that finished fifth in Serie A last year, but they aren’t significantly different. Losing manager Thiago Motta, star striker Joshua Zirkzee and their best defender Riccardo Calafiori definitely hurts, but the rest of the team is still in tact.

Vincenzo Italiano did a masterful job with Fiorentina in Europe bringing them to back to back Europa Conference League finals, and his style of play isn’t a whole lot different than what Bologna were already doing tactically. He wants his teams to build out of the back in a 3-2 or 4-2 shape and they were really effective, getting the ball into teams' final third and controlling matches. Fiorentina had the best field tilt in Serie A and also was third in xThreat.

They made a really good signing to replace Zirkzee by bringing in Thijs Dallinga from Toulouse. Last season in Ligue 1 he scored 14 goals and had a 0.51 xG per 90 minute scoring rate.

Things have been a big up and down for them in Serie A this season, as they've drawn three of their first four matches and are sitting near the relegation zone. However, they have a +0.8 xGD so far, so the underlying performances are still good and the positive regression will come. That creates a positive note heading into this match.

Shakhtar have had a pretty rough start to the Ukrainian Premier League, as they’ve already lost two matches and are sitting in the middle of the table. Marino Pusic took over midway through the season last year and was actually in charge for their final four Champions League matches. He got a historic win over Barcelona at home and also got all three points against Antwerp, but in their two away matches against Barcelona and Porto they got hammered.

That has been a running theme for Shakhtar because they have not fared well away from home in the Champions League over the years. In the last three seasons, they have played 11 matches away from home and have a -12 expected goal differential. In fact, of those 12 matches, they have only won the expected goals battle once and it was against Antwerp last season.

This is essentially the same team that was in the Champions League last season, as Shakhtar didn't make any significant moves in the transfer market. In addition to that, under Pusic they only had a +0.80 xGD per 90 minutes in the Ukrainian Premier League, which is the 21st-most difficult league in Europe.

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Bologna vs. Shakhtar Donetsk Champions League Prediction

This is a good buy low spot on Bologna. Losing two of your best players and the best manager in the clubs history without a doubt stings, but the core of the squad is still in tact. In addition to that, Vincenzo Italiano's tactics aren't a whole lot different than Thiago Motta's so I am expecting Bologna to be able to control this match and tilt the field on Shakhtar.

Shaktar have proven for a long time now that they aren't that great away in Europe. They've been displaced for a long time because of the ongoing war with Russia and adding long travel on top of that just seems to really have a big effect.

I have Bologna projected at -130, so I like the value on them at -112 in Shakhtar Donetsk vs Bologna.