Igor Tsyganik, a commentator and employee of 1+1 media, has made a prediction for the Champions League group stage match between Barcelona and Shakhtar.
Igor Tsyganik"Shakhtar already have a new head coach. Yesterday, the Miners announced the appointment of Marino Pušić, who previously worked as Arne Slot's assistant at Feyenoord. It's a very complicated story, because a coaching change is always a flurry of emotions, new expectations, and the players' desire to prove themselves.
But by and large, Shakhtar were prepared for Barcelona by Dario Srna, although Marino Pušić had already had a pre-match training session with him and met the players. It's not a given that all the players will understand the new coach's plans right away, so this also needs to be taken into account.
There are questions about Barcelona. The Catalans will keep Saturday's El Clasico against Real Madrid in mind. For them, this confrontation is much more important, and there are also a lot of injured players in their squad. The absence of Robert Lewandowski is worth a lot.
Nevertheless, their academy constantly surprises us - every match we see another talented player who is immediately ready to play in the side, is not afraid of competition, and scores goals.
The Shakhtar should have a chance. "Barcelona play themselves and give to others, so we can expect an exchange of goals, I think. I won't bet on the outcome of the match," Tsyganik said.
Current quotes for Barcelona vs Shakhtar match
