Preview

Before the match
 
After being tied with Chornomorets, the Donetsk players sit in the second spot. Shakhtar will open with the encounter in Kropyvnytskyi the Premier League round 10, while the champions’ major competitors Dynamo Kiev - with 22 points under the belt - will entertain Veres.
 
Due to the yellow cards earned, Fred will not take part in the game vs Zirka. Maksym Malyshev and Sergii Kryvtsov continue to recover.

Opponents
 
Zirka sit in the eight spot, being one point adrift of Zorya. Oleksandriia and Karpaty breathe down the neck of Shakhtar’s opponents, with Stal and rock-bottom Chornomorets also being just a win away.
 
In August, the team from Kropyvnytskyi claimed two consecutive wins over the competitors (2-1 vs Zorya and 1-0 vs Stal). However, already in the following rounds, Roman Monarev’s men suffered defeats at the hands of Chornomorets and Mariupol. Zirka scored no goals in two recent rounds.
 
On Saturday, the suspended Maksym Drachenko will not be able to benefit the host side.
 
Head-to-head record
 
The rivals met 14 times in the Ukrainian league: Shakhtar have 12 wins, one draw and one defeat. The goal difference is 32-10.
 
On Zirka’s pitch, the Donetsk team claimed 6 wins, being tied just once. The goal difference is 16-4.
 
Previous league meeting
 
On October 23, 2016, Shakhtar brought three points from Kropyvnytskyi. In the 35th minute, Past parried away a Boriachuk effort, though the ball hit the back of the net off Pereira – 1-0. The Miners dominated throughout the second half. Boriachuk netted one on 73 minutes, with Ferreyra sealing a 3-0 win in the end.