Preview

September 17, Vilkhivtsi Arena Park, Vilkhivtsi, 15:00
The live broadcast will be available on UPL.TV

Match build-up

Shakhtar is the most decorated club in the history of the Ukrainian Cup, having won the trophy 15 times. However, the Pitmen were knocked out at the quarter-final stage last year. For Arda Turan’s team, this is already the third competition they will be entering this season. In the UPL, the Orange-and-Blacks have recorded 5 wins in 6 matches and currently share top spot in the table, while last week they began their European campaign with an away draw with Dutch side PSV (1-1). It should be noted that the cup match in Vilkhivtsi will be Shakhtar’s fourth in the space of 12 days, with Sunday’s league game against LNZ at the Arena Lviv still to come.

Opponents

Vilkhivtsi is a club from the village of the same name in Zakarpattia, with 1969 regarded as their year of foundation. For most of their history, the team held amateur status, while their main achievement in the modern era was winning the Zakarpattia Oblast Championship in 2022. Oleksandr Semerenko’s side compete in the Ukrainian Second League and currently have 2 draws and 3 defeats from their opening 5 rounds (goal difference: 6-11). Vilkhivtsi began their Ukrainian Cup campaign in the Round of 64, where they defeated UPL side Chornomorets Odesa (1-0) at home through a goal from Mykhailo Shestakov. This experienced 36-year-old forward is the team’s leading scorer this season with three goals.

Match background

Shakhtar and Vilkhivtsi will meet for the first time.

Stadium

The Vilkhivtsi Arena Park is located in Vilkhivtsi (Tiachiv Raion, Zakarpattia Oblast). The stadium has a capacity of 1,000–1,500. The pitch measures 111 by 67 metres.

The Vilkhivtsi vs Shakhtar match will be officiated by a refereeing team headed by Andrii Kovalenko. Assistants – Oleksandr Korniiko and Denys Serdiuk.