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PSV Eindhoven will begin their Champions League campaign on Thursday night when they welcome Shakhtar Donetsk to the Philips Stadion, with Peter Bosz's side aiming to make a winning start on home soil.
The hosts lost the Johan Cruyff Shield at the start of the campaign but have since won four of their next five matches, drawing the other, to sit second in the Eredivisie standings.
As for the Ukrainian visitors, they make their way to the south of the Netherlands also sitting second in their domestic league, having won four and lost one of their opening five Ukrainian Premier League matches.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
PSV vs. Shakhtar Donetsk key stats
- PSV's last five matches have produced 24 goals, an average of 4.8 per game.
- Despite winning four of their last five, Rood-witten are yet to keep a clean sheet this season.
- Shakhtar Donetsk did not lose a single away match in the league during the 2025-26 campaign and also have the best record on the road so far this season.
- The pair have met just once before in their history, in a Champions League encounter in November 2024.
PSV vs. Shakhtar Donetsk preview: Two in-form sides set for intriguing Champions League clash
PSV vs Shakhtar Donetsk — Tale of the Tape
| PSV (Eredivisie) | vs | Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukrainian Premier League) |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Position | 2nd |
| 13 | Points | 12 |
| 18 | Goals For | 10 |
| 6 | Goals Against | 4 |
| 0 | Clean Sheets | 2 |
| 3rd / 1st | Home / Away Rank | 8th / 1st |
Having won the Johan Cruyff Shield 15 times, PSV narrowly missed out on a record-extending 16th triumph this season, but they have quickly put that disappointment behind them and shifted their focus towards defending their Eredivisie crown.
Led by Peter Bosz, Rood-witten won a Dutch top-flight title for the 27th time after finishing 19 points clear of second-placed Feyenoord, following a campaign in which they won 27 times, drew on three occasions and lost just four times.
An incredible part of their success was their attacking unit, with PSV scoring a near-European high of 101 goals in just 34 league outings, an aspect of their game they have been able to maintain at the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
After just five Eredivisie matches, Bosz's side have scored an incredible 18 times and are yet to lose, only failing to win on the opening day of the season when they drew 2-2 with Fortuna.
They now turn their attention to another Champions League campaign, where they will be hoping to make a better account of themselves than last year, when they were knocked out in the league phase following a 28th-placed finish in the 36-team table.
Ahead of Thursday night's encounter, the hosts will be without Mauro Junior, who was sent off in PSV's last appearance in the competition back in January and will therefore be suspended, while Alassane Plea, Sami Ouaissa and Jerdy Schouten will miss out with injuries.
Shakhtar Donetsk, meanwhile, will begin their European season with a trip to the Netherlands, the first of what will essentially be eight games away from home in Europe's premier competition.
Arda Turan's side remain in exile from the Donbas Arena and, while their league matches are still being played in Ukraine, are unable to play Champions League football in their homeland and will therefore play at least four ‘home' matches at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, with the Blues failing to qualify themselves.
Due to the ongoing Russian invasion and occupation of the Donbas region, Shakhtar have been unable to play at their home stadium since abandoning it in May 2014, with the club instead largely using Lviv Arena, more than 700 miles away, for domestic home matches ever since.
Despite the ongoing turmoil surrounding the team and the country, Shakhtar Donetsk continue to excel domestically, claiming their 16th Ukrainian Premier League title last season after collecting 72 points from 30 matches and going unbeaten in all 15 of their away games.
Their impressive away form has continued into the 2026-27 campaign, with the Miners winning all three league games on the road, a record they will hope can continue as they make their return to Champions League football on Thursday night.
As far as injuries are concerned for the visiting side, they will be unable to call upon the services of Kiril Fesyun, Pedrinho and Marlon Santos, who remain out with various fitness and health problems.
PSV vs. Shakhtar Donetsk form guide & betting tips
| PSV | vs | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
D
W
W
W
W
|
Form |
W
W
W
L
W
|
| 18 | Goals For | 10 |
| 6 | Goals Against | 4 |
| N/A | Champions League | N/A |
Whispers predicts: PSV 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
While both sides are in great domestic form and sit second in their respective leagues, we see home advantage paying off and allowing PSV to claim a crucial three points to begin their Champions League campaign. A win for the hosts is priced at 4/9 by the bookmakers.
We do expect the away side to continue their impressive goalscoring form, with the Ukrainian outfit therefore contributing to our prediction of Over 2.5 Goals, which also comes in at 4/9.
Ricardo Pepi has scored three goals in five league matches so far this season, and he is priced at 8/13 to contribute to a goal on Thursday night.
Finally, our exact scoreline prediction of 2-1 is priced at 15/2.
> PSV to win at 4/9 | Likelihood: Likely
> Over 2.5 goals at 4/9 | Likelihood: Likely
> Ricardo Pepi to score or assist at 8/13 | Likelihood: Likely
> Exact scoreline of 2-1 at 15/2 ] | Likelihood: Outsider