Preview

Before the match
 
Shakhtar are 7 points ahead of Dynamo, preparing for the major clash with a double motivation after beating Feyenoord in the Champions League. Paulo Fonseca’s team won 9 of the recent 10 games, being the most prolific Premier League side (26 goals).
 
The match in Kyiv will be one of the key title race deciders. The Orange-and-Blacks need to achieve a positive outcome strengthen their standing. Their extra motivation will be the July meeting in the second league stage, when the Donetsk team did not score any points just once this season.
 
Opponents
 
The encounter will be very challenging for the Miners, as the autumn failures affect the self-esteem of Dynamo players. In the last three rounds, the White-and-Blues lost points vs Veres (0-0) and Zorya (4-4), suffering a defeat vs Chornomorets in Odesa a week ago (1-2).
 
Aleksandr Khatskevich’s men will have their second game this week at the NSC Olympiyskyi. On October 19, the Kyiv side tied with Young Boys in the Europa League (2-2). In that match, Serhii Sydorchuk and Domagoj Vida were injured, with Yevhen Khacheridi and Viktor Tsyhankov were missing on the roster.
 
Head-to-head record
 
The opponents met 54 times in the Ukrainian League. 19 games were won by Shakhtar, 21 by Dynamo, with 14 draws. The goal difference is 66-71.
 
The Kyiv team hosted 26 games: +7=5-14 with the goal difference of 28-42.
 
Previous league meeting
 
On July 22, the sides played in Kharkiv. The Miners could have taken the lead in the first half, but Koval rescued his team after Ferreyra’s attempt. Early in the second half, Mbokani headed home the pass from Garmash to put the visitors in front. Before the match end, Paulo Fonseca’s men created a number of scoring chances, with the score remaining unchanged though: Marlos struck just wide, with Taison shattering the crossbar and Dentinho sending the ball just over the goal – 0-1.