Preview

Shakhtar are to face Bosnian Velez in the second friendly match. The game will kick off at 16:30 Kyiv time.

All friendlies of the Orange-and-Blacks will be streamed live on Shakhtar’s YouTube channel and the FC Shakhtar app (App Store and Google Play).

Opponents

FK Velez was founded in Mostar in 1922. During the club’s long history, the team won several medals of the Yugoslav League and became the winners of the Yugoslav Cup twice (1981, 1986), and their main modern achievements are the bronze medals of the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2021) and the victory in the domestic Cup (2022). Mostar team finished the previous season in the Premier League in the 6th spot, and in the current campaign they are third in the table with 33 points.

Velez are coached by 51-year-old Croatian Dean Klafuric, whose main career achievement so far is a golden double in the Polish League and the Polish Cup at the head of Legia Warsaw (2017/18). The most prolific players of the team are experienced Bosnian forward Nermin Haskic (10 goals) and 22-year-old Georgian winger Giorgi Guliashvili (5 goals, 2 assists). Velez played two friendly matches during the winter pre-season: they beat Slovenian Mura (2-1) and lost to Vejle from Denmark (1-2).