Preview

November 28, Kropyvnytskyi, Zirka stadium, 14:00

Match build-up

Shakhtar are doing well in the Ukrainian league: the team are level with Dynamo, and their current winning streak comprises five victories over Zorya, Vorskla, Desna, Kolos and Rukh. In each of them, the Orange-and-Blacks scored at least two goals.

Yesterday, Shakhtar's major title-race competitors defeated Minaj 2-0, now having the goal difference of 43-8. The Miners have 40 goals scored and eight goals conceded before the match against Inhulets.

On the morning of Saturday November 27, Roberto De Zerbi's men trained in Sviatoshyno. The same evening, they flew to Kryvyi Rih. The team went to Kropyvnytskyi by bus then. The head coach will pick the starting XI from the list of 21 players.

Preliminary player list

Goalkeepers: Pyatov, Trubin, Puzankov

Defenders: Dodo, Vitao, Kryvtsov, Marlon, Matviienko, Konoplia, Korniienko, Bondar

Midfielders: Maycon, Marcos Antonio, Marlos, Tete, Bondarenko, Solomon, Mudryk, Sudakov, Pedrinho

Forward: Sikan

Opponents

Inhulets are sitting bottom of the table with two wins, four draws and eight defeats. The Petrove team have 10 points, just like Minaj. But in comparison with the Transcarpathians, Inhulets have two games in hand.

Both wins by Inhulets (vs Lviv and Mariupol) date back to late August. This autumn, the team suffered five defeats and were tied on three occasions. Serhii Lavrynenko's men also shared points with Minaj in Uzhhorod in the recent round – they were leading after Maksym Kovalyov's goal, conceded two goals before the break, and in the 80th minute Mykhailo Plokhotnyuk equalized and made it 2-2.

Head-to-head record

One of Shakhtar's victories over Inhulets came by default (3-0). Along with it, the statistics include three wins by the Miners in three games, the goal difference is 6-1.

Previous league meeting

In the opening round, the first-half goals by Traore and Patrick made Shakhtar successful. In the 12th minute, Lassina sent Solomon's cross home. In the 34th minute Alan fed Stepanenko, raced into the penalty area and planted Taras’s delivery into the back of the net. Towards full time, Michael Gopey pulled one back to make it 2-1.