Preview

May 4, Kharkiv, OSK Metalist, 19:30
Live broadcast on Futbol 2 TV channel

Before the match

During the week, Paulo Fonseca’s men were preparing for the game on a pitch of the Sviatoshyn training complex. Last Sunday, the Orange-and-Blacks took 3 points from Mariupol thanks to a first-half goal by Wellington Nem. There, David Khocholava earned the fourth yellow card - he will miss the game vs Lviv now, while Taison has already served a suspension and is ready to benefit the team.

For Shakhtar, this is the 50th home match at the OSK Metalist in all competitions. The tickets are still available at the stadium ticket office and online, at shakhtar.com. Also, the club has started selling season tickets for the next season (priced from UAH 600). All holders of the 2018/19 season tickets can renew them by taking advantage of a personal discount. 

Opponents

To differ from Shakhtar who are topping the table with an edge, Lviv are the last of the top six sides, having 30 points - 3 points less than Mariupol. We want to mention that the fifth UPL team should hope for the Miners’ Cup final victory against Inhulets on May 15 in order to get into the Europa League qualifying stage.

The opponents have the third manager this season - Bohdan Blavatskyi. Under his leadership, Lviv lost to Zorya (1-2) and Dynamo (0-1), with the current losing streak comprising 4 games to date. The previous time, the Blue-Golds scored points on March 17 in Chernihiv (1-0) still under Yuriy Bakalov, but they tend to display attacking football, having taken 16 shots at the vice-champions’ goal.
 
Vladyslav Pryimak and Martan will miss the game in Kharkiv due to suspension.

Head-to-head record

The opponents have had 4 meetings: 2 won by Shakhtar, 1 by Lviv, plus 1 draw. The goal difference is 4-2 in favour of the champions.

Recent UPL meeting 

On November 23, the match on Shakhtar’s pitch ended 0-0. The Miners dominated possession most of the time (71%) and attacked up to the final whistle. Yuriy Bakalov's Lviv dropped deep, nevertheless, the Orange-and-Blacks produced 24 shots at goal. In the second half, Taison and Dentinho had the best chances, but Oleksandr Bandura rescued his side.