Preview

January 30, the Orange-and-Blacks will hold the opening match of the Dubai Cup.

Two returns
 
Paulo Fonseca took 27 players to the training camp in Dubai, including the midfielder Viacheslav Tankovskyi and forward Ruslan Fomin who had recently played in Mariupol. Both work hard at the training sessions and are ready to come onto the pitch in Shakhtar's jerseys again after a short break.
 
Opponents
 
The capital-based Copenhagen, twelve-time champions of Denmark, claimed the title in the last domestic campaign with 22 points clear of Brøndby, being the current domestic cup holder. The team under Ståle Solbakken produce a poorer performance this season: taking interim sixth spot and lying far behind Midtjylland.
 
Different stages of preparation
 
At Dubai Cup 2018, the opponents have already held 2 matches: a 0-5 defeat from Zenit and a goalless draw against Guangzhou Evergrande. The winter training camp of the Lions in the UAE comes to an end. February 4, Copenhagen await a tie against Brøndby, before resuming the Super League campaign with Randers and holding the Europa League round of 32 clash versus Atletico Madrid.
 
The Donetsk side vs the Danes
 
The Miners faced the Danish opponents twice across European competitions. In 1983, Victor Nosov's men notched up a confident victory over B-1901 from Nykebing in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup round of 32 match (5-1 and 4-2), as Mircea Lucescu's team secured two wins over Nordsjælland in the Champions League group stage in the 2012/12 season (2-0 at home and 5-2 in Copenhagen on the Farum club’s arena of the same name).
 
Previous meetings
 
Both previous matches between Shakhtar and Copenhagen were held in Spain as part of the February competition Copa del Sol. The rivals played out a 1-1 draw in Marbella 8 years ago (Mariusz Lewandowski put his name on the scoresheet for the Orange-and-Blacks), as the Danes came out victors in La Manga in 2012 (2-0).
 
Live broadcast
 
The clash between the champions of Ukraine and Denmark as part of the Dubai Cup will kick off at 14:00. The live broadcast will be available on Futbol 1 TV channel, as the live text commentary will available in the match-centre on shakhtar.com.