Preview

December 2, Kharkiv, OSK Metalist, 17:00
Live broadcast on the Futbol 1 TV channel
 
Before the match
 
After the 16th round, there was a change in Shakhtar’s chasers pack: Oleksandriia claimed a home win at Dynamo and advanced past the Kyiv outfit in the standings. Paulo Fonseca’s men are topping the league table, enjoying an 8-point lead. A little more than a week ago, the Miners ended 0-0 vs Lviv, then securing an important victory over Hoffenheim in Germany.
 
The Orange-and-Blacks were preparing for the derby in Sviatoshyno in a regular mode. On Friday, Viktor Kovalenko was training under the supervision of a physio. Marlos, who extended the contract with Shakhtar through 2021 yesterday, continues recovering from injury. On Saturday evening, the team have touched down in Kharkiv.
 
Opponents
 
Viacheslav Shevchuk will meet with his former club for the second time in his coaching career. For over 12 years, the back defended the colours of Shakhtar and made 239 apps, scoring 4 goals and winning 20 trophies. The teams already met in the Ukrainian Cup Round of 16 on October 31, with the Miners claiming a 3-2 win in a hard-fought game.
 
With Shevchuk at the helm, Olimpik have had 6 league games. After a narrow defeat at the hands of Dynamo, the Miners beat Chornomorets with the same score. Then came defeats at Vorskla and Karpaty (1-2) and draws with Lviv and Zorya (1-1). The Olympians approach the next round in the 9th spot with 17 points.
 
Olimpik has no suspended players. As the club’s official website reported, the defender Dmytro Nemchanynov trained individually yesterday.
 
Head-to-head record
 
The opponents have had 11 league meetings: 8 wins for Shakhtar and 3 draws. The goal difference is 35–9.
 
Previous league meeting
 
In August, the teams had a super-productive duel in Kyiv. In the 11th minute, Marlos netted the opener through an assist by Taison, then Ismaily provided an assist for Moraes, with Olimpik immediately responding with a precision shot by Henadii Pasich, making it 1-2. Before the break, Shakhtar gave the score a lopsided look (Moraes grabbed a brace, Stepanenko scored one from set play). In the second half, the teams continued creating scoring opportunities: Nem hit the crossbar, Moraes scored the third goal fed by Taison, with Dehtiarev challenging Danchenko in the 76th minute, with the ball bouncing off the latter into the back of the net – 2-5.