Inter vs. Shakhtar Donetsk: stats and trivia ahead of the match

DÜSSELDORF - While the Inter squad continue preparations ahead of our semi-final clash against Shakhtar Donetsk, it’s time to take a look at the statistics ahead of our clash with the Ukrainian side, in collaboration with Opta.

INTER’S PREVIOUS EUROPEAN SEMI-FINALS

Inter will be taking part in the semi-finals of a European competition for the first time since the 2009/10 Champions League, which we then went on to win; it’s the eighth time that the Nerazzurri have reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup/Europa League – that’s more than any other side.

This will be Inter’s 21st European semi-final, with three in the Central European Cup, two in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, seven in the former European Cup and one in the Champions League, and seven in the UEFA Cup (with three wins), along with this season’s Europa League semi-final.

Here are Inter's semi-final appearances, (with the team that progressed underlined):

1984/85 Inter vs. Real Madrid 1985/86 Inter vs. Real Madrid 1990/91 Inter vs. Sporting CP 1993/94 Inter vs. Cagliari 1996/97 Inter vs. Monaco 1997/98 Inter vs. Spartak Moscow 2001/02 Inter vs. Feyenoord

INTER’S PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS WITH SHAKHTAR DONETSK

Inter have faced Shakhtar Donetsk twice, back in the group stages of the 2005 Champions League. Click here to take a look back at the matches with photos and an in-depth look at the matches:A 2-0 win for Inter in Ukraine and 1-1 in the second round of fixtures at San Siro.

Shakhtar Donetsk are looking to reach their second ever European final. Their last appearance in a final was in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup, when they beat Dynamo Kiev in the semi-final before their 2-1 victory in the final against Werder Bremen.

INTER, GOALSCORING, AND EUROPEAN FORM

After finishing third in their Champions League group, Inter have won all four of their Europa League clashes this season. They have not won five in a row in a major European competition since April 2010 (excluding qualification), when they reached the Champions League Final. Should they win, Inter will match their record of five consecutive UEFA Cup/Europa League victories, which goes back all the way to 2000.

Inter have scored 106 goals in all competitions in 2019/20, and they could match the 107 goals they scored in 2006/07 and 1950/51, their absolute record for goalscoring in a single season in league and cup competitions since Serie A started using a round-robin format in 1929/30.

PLAYER FOCUS

Since his Inter debut on 26 January 2020, Ashley Young has had a direct hand in nine goals in all competitions, with four goals, and five assists, and against Leverkusen he became the defender who has scored the most goals in any of Europe’s Top 5 Leagues, ahead of Sergio Ramos (eight).

In the quarter-finals, Nerazzurri striker Romelu Lukaku became the first player in the history of the UEFA Cup/Europa League to score in nine consecutive matches., thanks to a run that goes back to 2014 during his time at Everton. The Belgian striker has had a direct hand in 15 goals in his last nine Europa League matches (twelve goals and three assists).

Junior Moraes has played a part in seven goals in his last seven Europa League appearances with Shakhtar Donetsk (five goals, two assists), with all of these appearances coming in the knockout stage of the tournament.