Shakhtar Donetsk v Konyaspor background
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Article summary
Shakhtar have clinched UEFA Europa League Group H after wins in all four of their opening games, but matchday five visitors Konyaspor must end that streak to have any hope of surviving.
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Shakhtar can afford to relax a little as they welcome Konyaspor in their final UEFA Europa League Group H home game, with time seemingly running out for their Turkish visitors.
• Shakhtar have clinched the group.
• To have any possibility of qualifying, Konyaspor must win and hope Braga do not do likewise away to Gent.
Previous meetings
• Facundo Ferreyra scored the only goal as Shakhtar beat Konyaspor 1-0 in Turkey on matchday one in what was the home side's first UEFA club competition fixture.
• Shakhtar have yet to lose in eight UEFA competition meetings with Turkish teams (W7 D1) and have conceded just once in the course of those matches.
Form guide
• Schalke, Shakhtar and Zenit are the only sides who have won all four of their opening games. Shakhtar and Zenit are the top scorers this season with 13 goals: an average of 3.25 per match. Shakhtar have the better goal difference, with +10 to Zenit's +8.
• Tournament winners in 2009, Shakhtar have maintained their 100% record by making it through the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League group stage for a third time.
• European debutants, Konyaspor have yet to win a European fixture in four outings: D1 L3. They have lost both of their continental away games to date by two-goal margins.
Links and trivia
• The journey from Konya to Lviv, where Shakhtar are playing their European home matches, is around 1,500km.
• Shakhtar's Darijo Srna has played 142 UEFA club games, the highest total of any player in this season's UEFA Europa League. His nearest rival, Manchester United's Zlatan Ibrahimović, has made 131 appearances.
The coaches
• Paulo Fonseca took the Shakhtar helm this summer after Mircea Lucescu moved on following 12 years in the post. His Braga team were eliminated by Shakhtar in last term's UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, but went on to land the Portuguese Cup.
• A striker celebrated for his chest-and-volley goals for Fenerbahçe, Aykut Kocaman started his second stint as Konyaspor coach in 2014. He was in charge at Fenerbahçe from 2010–13, lifting a league title and two Turkish Cups.