Preview

May 3, Odesa, Chornomorets, 13:00
The live broadcast will be available on UPL.TV

Match build-up

Shakhtar have 54 points after 26 rounds of the championship and are third in the standings, 10 points off the pace and 6 behind second spot. At the same time, Marino Pusic's side remain the most prolific in the Premier League with 61 goals scored and 24 conceded. In the previous round, the Miners shared points with Dynamo in the Ukrainian Clasico (2-2), scoring 2 quick goals through Kevin and Eguinaldo before conceding twice in the second half. The Pitmen’s top scorer Heorhii Sudakov, who has 13 goals and 6 assists in all competitions (11 goals and 4 assists in the UPL), missed the match due to injury.

Shakhtar footballers were able to dedicate this week to preparing for the match for the first time in a month and a half, having completed a full training cycle at the Sviatoshyn facility near Kyiv. It should be noted that the Orange-and-Blacks have no suspended players in their squad going into the game.

Opponents

Chornomorets are bottom of the UPL table with 18 points from 26 games (goal difference 17-40). The Odessa side are 7 points off the safety of 12th spot and 5 points above the relegation zone. The team underwent another coaching change at the end of March, with Oleksandr Kucher, who spent almost his entire career at Shakhtar and has become a club legend, now in charge of the Sailors. Under his guidance, Chornomorets played 5 matches, winning 1 and losing 4. Thus, the Blue-and-Blacks lost to Rukh (1-2) at home in the last round. The most prolific player of the Odessa outfit is striker Denys Yanakov (5 goals).

Match background

Shakhtar and Chornomorets played 56 matches in the Ukrainian Championship: 41 victories for the Pitmen, 8 draws and 7 wins for the Sailors. Total goal difference: 117-33 in favour of the Orange-and-Blacks. It is interesting that the Miners have not lost in Odessa since 2005, a series of 18 matches (13 wins and 5 draws).

Previous meeting

The teams locked horns in the first stage of the UPL at the Arena Lviv on November 2, 2024. All the action took place before the break. The Pitmen opened the scoring in the 17th minute after Oleksandr Zubkov's accurate shot, but the Odessa side hit back three minutes later through Artem Habelko. The decisive attack came in the final minute of the half when Artem Bondarenko scored the winner. 2:1 – the winning result of the meeting for the Miners.

The Chornomorets vs Shakhtar match will be officiated by the judging panel headed by Roman Blavatskyi. Assistants – Maryna Striletska and Oleksandr Korniiko. VAR referee – Andrii Kovalenko.