Preview

March 30, Kyiv, Obolon-Arena, 13:00
The live broadcast will be available on UPL.TV

Match build-up

Shakhtar won all 4 matches of the spring part of the league and currently lead the UPL table with 43 points in 19 matches played. The Miners also have the best goal difference – 39 scored, 17 conceded. Dmytro Kryskiv (6 goals and 5 assists), Oleksandr Zubkov (4 and 5), Danylo Sikan (4 and 2) and Lassina Traore (4 and 1) are the most prolific players of the Orange-Blacks in the Premier League.

Marino Pusic's side prepared for the meeting with Obolon in the absence of a large group of players who returned to the club only 2 days before the game. As for the personnel news, it is worth noting that Marlon Gomes join training session in the general group. No Pitmen will miss the game due to disqualifications.

Opponents

Obolon continue their struggle for staying in the elite in their first season in the Ukrainian Premier League. Currently, the Kyiv side have 18 points in 20 league matches (goal difference: 12-25) and are 13th in the standings. Valerii Ivashchenko's outfit started the spring season with a draw with Chornomorets (1-1), followed by narrow defeats against Dnipro-1 (0-1) and Kryvbas (0-1), and in the previous round, the Brewers won against Polissia (1-0) trough Ruslan Chernenko’s goal. The best scorer of the capital-based team in this championship is Ihor Krasnopir (4 goals). Defender Vladyslav Pryimak will miss the match with Shakhtar due to suspension.

Match background

Shakhtar met with new Obolon (formed in 2013) 4 times. The Miners proved stronger in the Ukrainian Cup last 32 (1-0) in the 2014/15 season, confidently won friendly games (4-0 and 5-0) in 2020 and 2021 and claimed a victory in league match last year (1-0).

Previous meeting

On September 16, 2023, Shakhtar and Obolon played on the UPL MD 7 at the Lviv Arena. The match with the newcomers turned out to be difficult for the champions: the Pitmen had a significant game advantage throughout the match, but they managed to score one decisive goal only in the 77th minute when Yehor Nazaryna produced a powerful shot into the bottom corner from outside the penalty area. 1-0 – the victory of the Orange-and-Blacks.

Obolon vs Shakhtar match will be officiated by the judging panel headed by Oleksandr Kalonov. Assistants: Volodymyr Vysotskyi and Denys Marchenko. VAR system will be used during the game (Viktor Kopiievskyi will be the VAR referee).