Preview

October 27, Kyiv, Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo stadium, 17:00
Live broadcast on Futbol 2 channel

Before the match

After the game vs Manchester City, the champions have switched to the domestic competitions. In the UPL, the Miners will face meetings with the Kyiv-based clubs (Arsenal-Kyiv and Dynamo), with the domestic Cup round of 16 tie vs Olimpik taking place in between them on Wednesday.

Shakhtar have been displaying the most spectacular football in Ukraine. Over the past 12 rounds, Paulo Fonseca’s men scored the most goals (31), boasting a 61% ball possession and an average of 15 shots on target in 90 minutes (the best league performance). The Orange-and-Blacks have secured 10 wins, topping the league table just two points ahead of Dynamo.

Due to suspension, the strikers Junior Moraes and Olarenwaju Kayode will miss the game. Taison and Marlos recover from injuries.

Opponents

For Viacheslav Hroznyi, it will be his first competitive game vs Shakhtar over three recent years. In November 2015, the current Arsenal-Kyiv mentor suffered a 1-6 defeat with his former club Hoverla in Uzhhorod. We want to point out that for Hroznyi, the current term is his third with Arsenal – he already took points away from the Miners in the capital being in charge of this team (0-0 draws in 2002 and 2004).

In the upcoming meeting, Vladyslav Dubinchak, Danylo Sahutkin, and the suspended Lola will not be able to benefit the host side. In the recent three rounds, Arsenal-Kyiv claimed a win in Poltava (2-0) and lost 0-1 to Dynamo and Lviv. The team are sitting bottom of the table, being slightly behind Chornomorets and Karpaty and having conceded the most goals (21).

Head-to-head record

After 24 games, the Miners have 16 wins, 6 draws and 2 defeats. The goal difference is 54-14.

Previous league meeting

In the first stage, Shakhtar confidently defeated the Gunners in Kharkiv. In the 10th minute, Moraes flicked Taison’s delivery right home; a half an hour later, Fernando finished off an excellent move by the Miners, with Taison hitting the back of the net from outside the penalty area after a corner, making it 3-0. In the second half, the same Fernando and Moraes had some pretty good chances, but the score remained the same until the final whistle.