FC Kharkiv v Shakhtar Donetsk — prediction, stats and goal analysis

Premier League · Sunday, 16 August 2026 · 13:30. Final score 0–1 (half-time 0–1). Before kick-off we rated it 53% under 2.5 goals — the match finished with 1, so that call landed. That rating was frozen into a version-controlled ledger before the game and has not been touched since.

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Our ratings for this match

MarketYesNoOur call
Over 2.5 goals47%53%Under
Over 3.5 goals30%70%no pick
Both teams to score42%58%No

The result model puts FC Kharkiv at 38%, the draw at 29% and Shakhtar Donetsk at 33%, from expected goals of 1.16 and 1.07.

Bookmaker prices and where we differ

MarketPriceImpliedOur ratingEdge
Over 2.5 goals2.2542%47%+5%
Under 2.5 goals1.6258%53%-5%
Both teams to score2.2042%42%+0%

Implied percentages have the bookmaker's margin removed, so they add to 100 and can be compared with our rating directly. Edge is simply the gap between the two. A positive edge means our model thinks the outcome is likelier than the price suggests — it is not a tip, and a high probability with a negative edge is a poor bet however safe it looks. Prices are a pre-match snapshot from a single bookmaker and move constantly.

Match odds: FC Kharkiv 4.33, draw 3.50, Shakhtar Donetsk 1.65.

How we got this number

The league sets the starting point. Premier League has produced over 2.5 goals in 47% of its matches, and that is where a team with no record of its own would sit.

Each side's own record. FC Kharkiv have 1 in 2 this season (0 of 1 at home), Shakhtar Donetsk 1 in 2 (0 of 1 away). Those records are pulled toward the league rate with the weight of about 32 matches — enough that two or three unusual games cannot swing a rating — giving 45% and 45%.

Last season still counts, briefly. With 2 and 2 games played this season, last season's rates are still blended in and fade out entirely by game 14 — the point at which our testing showed they stop adding accuracy. That moves the two figures to 45% and 58%.

The mix. Weighted 40% home side, 40% away side and 20% league — the split that beat every alternative across 30,582 matches of testing — that gives 51%.

Goal expectation. Separately a Poisson model built from attack and defence strength — using real expected-goals data where the league has it — puts this match at 38%, from expected goals of 1.16 for FC Kharkiv and 1.07 for Shakhtar Donetsk. Folding in 30% of that view gives 47%.

This breakdown is generated from the same inputs the rating uses, so it cannot describe a calculation we did not perform. The full model is set out in the methodology.

Season form

TeamGamesO2.5O3.5BTTS
FC Kharkiv250%50%50%
Shakhtar Donetsk250%50%50%

More: Shakhtar Donetsk season stats · Premier League table and form. Ratings are calibrated probabilities, not tips — a 60% call is expected to miss two times in five.