The last riddle

Shakhtar Look For A Surprise Entry In The Knockout Stage; Milan Face Salzburg Hurdle

Warsaw: Leipzig had boosted their chances of advancing to the knockout stage of the Champions League by handing titleholder Real Madrid their first loss of the season last week. The German club now only need to get a point out of their last group match at Shakhtar Donetsk — who drew 1-1 at Celtic last Tuesday — to advance to the last 16. Mykhaylo Mudryk’s Shakhtar Donetsk host Leipzig at Warsaw on the final day of the Champions League group stage on Wednesday.

Christopher Nkunku and Leipzig have been in flying form, with their 2-0 weekend win over Bayer Leverkusen. Sitting third in the group and three points behind Leipzig, Shakhtar will go through to the last 16 with a win. That’s because the Ukrainian champions would have a better headto-read record in the games between the teams, with Mudryk already on the scoresheet in a 4-1 success in Germany on their first-leg meeting.