Shakhtar Donetsk — Servette : Match Preview and Prediction for August 21,2025

Shakhtar’s European Ambitions

Shakhtar Donetsk naturally aimed for a direct spot in the Europa League group stage. It’s somewhat unusual to see them in the qualifying rounds of this competition, but these are the current circumstances they face.

Dominant Qualifying Performances and UCL Exit

The Miners immediately signaled their intent, showing no signs of underestimation in the early qualifying rounds, even against seemingly weaker opponents. Their first adversary, Ilves, was convincingly dispatched 6-0 in the initial leg. The return fixture in Finland was essentially a formality, ending in a goalless draw. However, in the second stage, Arda Turan’s side was labeled as slight underdogs when drawn against Beşiktaş. This sentiment was amplified by some ‘Eagles’ players who boasted in interviews about ‘rolling over’ Shakhtar. Yet, the Miners proved their mettle on the pitch, securing a decisive 4-2 victory. The return leg saw no change in momentum, with Turan’s team maintaining full dominance for another comfortable 2-0 win. Following these impressive displays, it seemed Panathinaikos would also be overcome without much difficulty. Nevertheless, the Greek side showed resilience and ultimately knocked Shakhtar out of the Champions League after a penalty shootout. A crucial moment was Ocheretko’s questionable second yellow card late in the second half, which appeared to be a clean tackle on the ball.

Domestic League Form

In the domestic league, their performance has been somewhat mixed so far. Despite registering victories against Epicenter (1-0) and Veres (2-0), they’ve already dropped points in a 3-3 draw against Karpaty.

Shakhtar Squad Update

Manager Arda Turan will be without Ocheretko and Kevin for the upcoming fixture.

Servette’s European Campaign

Servette began their current season relatively well, kicking off their European journey in the Champions League qualifiers. In their very first away match, they surprisingly managed to defeat Viktoria Plzeň 1-0. However, despite holding a lead and having home advantage for the return leg, it wasn’t enough for the Swiss side, as the Czechs overturned the deficit with a 3-1 victory. Their European misfortunes didn’t end there. After being knocked out of the Champions League, they entered the Europa League qualifiers, where they faced Utrecht. The Dutch side proved too strong, comfortably defeating Servette in both legs with scores of 3-1 and 2-1.

Struggles in Domestic League

It was hoped that these European setbacks could be rectified in their national championship, which began concurrently. However, even there, Servette fans have little to cheer about, as their team has managed to secure only one point out of a possible nine, leaving them at the bottom of the league table. Their sole positive result came in the third round, an away 1-1 draw against Grasshoppers. This followed two earlier defeats to Young Boys (1-3) and St. Gallen (4-1). On a slightly brighter note, the visitors did achieve a morale-boosting 5-0 thrashing of modest Dardania in the Swiss Cup over the weekend.

Coaching Situation and Performance

Servette’s management attempted to address their unsatisfactory results last season by appointing Jocelyn Gourvennec. As is evident, things haven’t improved; arguably, they’ve even worsened.

Defensive Woes

The Swiss side is grappling with significant defensive issues, having conceded a staggering 16 goals in just seven matches, an average of 2.28 goals per game – a complete failure. Meanwhile, their attacking output is lower, with only 12 goals scored (1.71 per game). It’s worth noting that five of these goals came against the weak Dardania side; otherwise, their tally would be a mere seven.

Servette Squad Update

Gourvennec does have some good news on the injury front, with two players having fully recovered in time for this match.