Preview

September 14, Kharkiv, OSK Metalist, 17:00
Live broadcast on Futbol 2 channel
 
Before the match
 
Shakhtar began defending the league title with 6 wins. Luis Castro’s men have netted 19 goals and conceded only 3, keeping clean sheets on three occasions (vs Karpaty, Lviv, and Olimpik). Before starting their Champions League campaign, the Orange-and-Blacks are facing the weekend’s major game vs Zorya. The tickets are on sale.
 
The UPL campaign resumes after the international break. Traditionally, the largest number of the national team players was delegated by Shakhtar. Matviienko aggregately played for 180 minutes; Pyatov, Bolbat, Kryvtsov, and Stepanenko played for the full 90 minutes vs Lithuania; Kovalenko, Moraes, and Konoplyanka took part in a friendly match vs Nigeria; with Marlos scoring in Vilnius and providing assists in both meetings, just like Solomon did by providing assists in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers vs Northern Macedonia and Slovenia.
 
On September 11, the internationals joined the team at the Sviatoshyn suburban complex and took part in the evening training session, with Shakhtar introducing the newcomers Yevhen Konoplyanka and Vitao the following day.
 
Opponents
 
Over the past 5 years, Zorya have once won bronze medals, claiming the fourth spot three times, also winning the fifth place in the 2018/19 season. After Yurii Vernydub retired, the Luhansk outfit was headed by Werder Bremen’s former player and coach Viktor Skrypnyk. The new players successfully fit into the squad - Dmytro Ivanisenya, Vladlen Yurchenko, Joel Abu Hanna, and the loaned Nazarii Rusin.
 
Zorya once again began the season on two fronts. In the Europa League qualifying round, the Black-and-Whites defeated the Montenegro-based Buducnost Podgorica and the Bulgarian CSKA Sofia before suffering a defeat at the hands of RCD Espanyol in the play-offs. At the same time, in the UPL, Skrypnyk’s men suffered only one defeat at the hands of Oleksandriia; with victories over Vorskla, Kolos, Karpaty, and draws with Dnipro-1 and Dynamo securing a high standing before the meeting with the current champions.
 
Head-to-head record
 
In 40 matches, Shakhtar had 34 wins, 5 defeats, and 1 draw. The Orange-and-Blacks scored exactly 100 goals and conceded 24 goals.
 
Previous league meeting
 
In Zaporizhya on May 19, Shakhtar won 1-0 and secured the title early. A goal by Moraes on 11 minutes proved decisive after Bolbat’s assist. Later, the Miners created a few more prerequisites for widening the gap, but Kovalenko struck wide, and Mykyta Shevchenko stopped the attempts by Taison and Moraes.