--- title: "Arda Turan's 'Young Blood': Shakhtar Fielded the Youngest Starting Lineup in the Champions League Opening Round" description: "Arda Turan's Shakhtar fielded the youngest starting lineup (24.0 years) in the Champions League opening round, drawing 1:1 with PSV. Gleicer Mendoza scored the goal. The next match is against AEK on October 14 in London." date: 2026-09-11T12:50:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/shakhtar-youngest-starting-lineup-champions-league-arda-turan tags: [shakhtar-donetsk, uefa-champions-league, arda-turan, psv-eindhoven, gleiker-mendoza, young-lineup, football] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Arda Turan's 'Young Blood': Shakhtar Fielded the Youngest Starting Lineup in the Champions League Opening Round ![Shakhtar Donetsk team photo before the first matchday of the UEFA Champions League: Arda Turan's youngest starting lineup](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/11/shahtar-samyy-molodyy-startovyy-sostav-liga-chempionov-arda-turan/shahtar-samyy-molodyy-startovyy-sostav-liga-chempionov-arda-turan-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Shakhtar's starting lineup in the match against PSV was the youngest in the Champions League first round — average age 24.0 years - The match against PSV ended in a 1:1 draw, with the goal scored by Gleicer Mendoza - The oldest lineup of the first round was Napoli's (29.2 years), a gap of more than five years compared to Shakhtar - In the second round, Shakhtar will play AEK on October 14 at Stamford Bridge in London Donetsk's Shakhtar kicked off its campaign in the league phase of the 2025/26 Champions League not only with a valuable point but also with a unique statistical achievement. In the opening-round match against PSV, which ended 1:1 at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, Arda Turan's team fielded a starting XI with an average age of 24.0 years — the youngest lineup among all the teams that opened their matches in the first round of the new tournament. The only goal for the "miners" was scored by Gleicer Mendoza, who managed to bring the team a valuable point in a tense encounter with the Dutch leaders. ### A Youth Record: Figures and Context The 24.0-year figure for Shakhtar's starting lineup was a clear lead in the table of average ages across all first-round teams. The nearest chasers trail the Donetsk side by a noticeable margin: Slavia (Prague) — 24.4 years, Lens — 24.6, Feyenoord — 24.8, Como — 25.3. The top ten youngest lineups also included Leipzig (25.4), LASK (25.6), Manchester City (25.7), Porto (25.8) and Sporting (25.8). Thus, Arda Turan consciously placed his bets on youth, entrusting key roles to players who are, on average, just 24 years old. ### A Generational Contrast: From Shakhtar to Napoli At the other end of the age spectrum sat Napoli, which in its match against Arsenal fielded a starting XI with an average age of 29.2 years — the most "mature" lineup of the first round. Behind the Italians came Fenerbahce (29.1), Bayern (29.0), AEK (28.9) and Betis (28.9). The gap between Shakhtar's youngest lineup and Napoli's oldest XI exceeds five years — a figure that vividly illustrates two fundamentally different approaches to squad planning within a single tournament. ### First-Round Summary and Plans for the Second The 1:1 draw with PSV was a worthy start for Shakhtar in the Champions League league phase. Gleicer Mendoza's goal allowed the Donetsk side to pick up a point on the road against one of the group-stage favorites. Ahead for Arda Turan's team is the second round, in which the "miners" will play a nominally home match against Athens' AEK. The match will take place on October 14 in London at Stamford Bridge — the traditional venue for the Donetsk club's home matches under conditions where its home stadium is unavailable for international games. ### The Significance of the Achievement for Arda Turan's Project Setting a youth record in the first round of the new Champions League format is not just a statistical line, but a reflection of the coaching staff's philosophy. Arda Turan, who took charge of Shakhtar, continues his course on rejuvenating the squad and integrating young players into the first team at the highest European level. The ability to compete with opponents such as PSV, Manchester City or Bayern with a lineup dominated by players under 25 is a strong argument in favor of the idea that the Donetsk project can contend for high places in the league-phase standings. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Arda Turan's 'Young Blood': Shakhtar Set a Unique Record in the Champions League](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/moloda-krov-ardi-turana-shahtar-vstanoviv-1789130845.html) - Первичный источник со всеми статистическими данными: средний возраст 24,0 года, результаты матча 1:1, гол Мендозы, список команд по возрастам, дата и место второго тура. - [Rijeka Defender: Shakhtar Is the Hardest Team We Have Played Against](https://www.ua-football.com/foreign/conference_league/1766140745-zaschitnik-rieki-shahter-samaya-slozhnaya-komanda-protiv-kotoroy-my-igrali.html) - Подтверждено по источнику ua-football.com - ['Shakhtar Is the Strongest Team in the UPL.' Kryvbas Foreigner Says What He Expects from the Head-to-Head](https://www.ua-football.com/ukrainian/high/1764588253-shahter-samaya-silnaya-komanda-upl-legioner-krivbassa-rasskazal-chego-zhdet-ot-ochnoy-vstrechi.html) - Подтверждено по источнику ua-football.com - ['You Can't Concede Goals Like That.' Kucher Frankly Assesses Shakhtar's Champions League Match Against PSV](https://sport.nv.ua/football/psv-shahter-aleksandr-kucher-ocenil-igru-donchan-na-starte-ligi-chempionov-50640542.html) - Подтверждает факт проведения матча ПСВ — «Шахтер» в Лиге чемпионов и его результативность (забитый гол). ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What was the average age of Shakhtar's starting lineup in the match against PSV? **A:** The average age of the 11 players that Arda Turan sent off the bench was 24.0 years — the youngest starting lineup among all first-round Champions League teams. ### Q: Who scored the goal for Shakhtar in the match against PSV? **A:** The only goal for the Donetsk club was scored by Gleicer Mendoza. The match ended 1:1. ### Q: Which team fielded the oldest lineup in the first Champions League round? **A:** Napoli, in its match against Arsenal, had an average starting-XI age of 29.2 years — the highest figure of the first round. ### Q: When and where will Shakhtar play its second Champions League round? **A:** On October 14, Shakhtar will play a nominally home match against Athens' AEK at Stamford Bridge in London.