Champions League Matchday 1: PSV Eindhoven vs Shakhtar Donetsk facts

UEFA Champions League regulars PSV Eindhoven and Shakhtar Donetsk meet at the PSV Stadion to kick off their 2026/27 European seasons.

Previous meetings

The sides' only previous meeting came on Matchday 5 of the 2024/25 Champions League, PSV mounting a remarkable late fightback to win 3-2 in Eindhoven. First-half goals from Danylo Sikan (8) and Oleksandr Zubkov (37) put Shakhtar in charge but the visitors lost Pedro Henrique to a 69th-minute red card and two goals in four minutes from Malik Tillman (87 90) levelled before substitute Ricardo Pepi struck a 95th-minute winner.

That was PSV's third successive Champions League victory against a Ukrainian club in what was their most recent game.

However, overall the Dutch club have only two wins in the last six matches against teams from Ukraine (D1 L3).

Shakhtar lost their first four games against Dutch clubs but have been beaten in only two of the subsequent seven (W3 D2).

The Pitmen's last fixtures against Eredivisie opponents ended in a 5-2 aggregate win against AZ Alkmaar in the 2025/26 UEFA Conference League quarter-finals (3-0 h, 2-2 a).

A 2-1 success at Feyenoord in the 2017/18 Champions League group stage is Shakhtar's only win in Netherlands (D1 L4).

Form guide

PSV

Dutch champions for the 27th time – and third season in succession – in 2025/26, PSV are in the Champions League proper for the 20th time, a new national record; they were previously level with Ajax on 19.

Peter Bosz's side were 28th in last season's league phase (W2 D2 L4).

Shakhtar Donetsk

The Ukrainian side are making a ninth appearance in ten seasons in the Champions League proper, and a 20th overall. They have featured in all but two of the last 17 seasons.

The Pitmen have failed to progress to the knockout rounds in each of the last seven campaigns; they were 27th in the 2024/25 league phase (W2 D1 L5).

Shakhtar reached the Conference League semi-finals in 2025/26, losing 2-5 on aggregate to eventual winners Crystal Palace.

Links and trivia

PSV have won only two of their last ten matches in the Champions League proper (D3 L5), losing the last three.

The Eindhoven club have lost their Matchday 1 fixture in each of their last five Champions League campaigns, since beating Manchester United 2-1 in Eindhoven in 2015. They lost 1-3 at home to debutants Union Saint-Gilloise in 2025/26.

PSV have lost four of their last five home Champions League fixtures (W1).

PSV's last ten Champions League matches have produced 44 goals, an average of 4.4 per game.

None of PSV's last 34 matches in the Champions League proper finished goalless, since a 0-0 group stage draw at home to Rostov in December 2016.

Shakhtar have lost only two of their last eight games in the league phase of UEFA competition (W5 D1).

Each of Shakhtar's last six European matches has produced three or more goals.