Europa League Qual: Shakhtar vs Besiktas 31/07/2025

Betting on goals

Right after the draw, it was clear this would be the highest-quality matchup of the second qualifying round of the Europa League.

And the first leg between Beşiktaş and Shakhtar, played in Istanbul, certainly lived up to expectations. The final score of 4–2 in favor of the Ukrainian side may have surprised many, but it also showed that Shakhtar once again has a highly talented young team built on the well-known Ukrainian-Brazilian foundation — and that we’ll likely be seeing many of these players in top European leagues very soon.

Plenty of Goals in Istanbul

Despite doing an excellent job during the transfer window – bringing in Orkun Kökçü and Tammy Abraham in what were record signings for the club — and despite playing in front of their passionate home fans, Beşiktaş failed to respond adequately to the speed and sharpness of the visiting team. Now they face a difficult task: trying to overturn a two-goal deficit on the road.

Shakhtar will be playing their “home” leg in Kraków this time, something the Ukrainian side has become accustomed to in recent years.

Beşiktaş has nothing to lose in this match and will have to attack from the very beginning. Naturally, this approach comes with risks, as it will leave plenty of space for Shakhtar’s quick Brazilian wizards to exploit — and they’ll surely take advantage of any defensive mistakes.

I expect another goal-filled match between these two sides, and the bet “Both teams to score & over 2.5 goals” (BTTS + Over 2.5) looks like a very reasonable pick.