Preview

October 29, Lviv, Arena Lviv, 17:00
Live stream by Setanta Sports+

Pre-match

Shakhtar have 6 victories and 1 draw in 7 UPL matches (total goal difference: 16–3). With 19 points, the Miners are ranked 2nd in the table – 3 points behind the leader but with a game in reserve. In October, the mentees of Igor Jovicevic managed to hold 2 matches of the championship and won over Dynamo (3-1), Kolos (3-0), while another 2 matches (with Lviv and Minaj) were postponed to spring.

A busy schedule and constant traveling almost do not give time to Orange-and-blacks for full preparation for the games. It wasn't until Wednesday that the team returned from Scotland, where they had a difficult Champions League match against Celtic (1-1). The draw allowed the Donetsk residents to continue their struggle to reach the playoffs, and now everything will be decided for the Ukrainians in the final meeting of the group with Leipzig. The match in Glasgow was the third in a row in which Mykhailo Mudryk distinguished himself. The 21-year-old winger is Shakhtar's most productive footballer this season: he has 6 goals scored and 7 assists in 11 games.

Opponent

Oleksandriia won 5 of their 7 Premier League opening matches and have 1 draw and 1 defeat (goals: 11–6). Before the 10th round, the Oleksandrians were ranked 3rd in the standings with 16 points. So far, the mentees of Yuriy Hura gathered pace and won 4 victories in a row – over Chornomorets (2-1), Inhulets (2-1), Kryvbas (2-0) and Lviv (2-0).

The most effective player of the team is Andriy Tsurikov (3 goals); Maksym Tretyakov and Vladyslav Kalitvintsev have 2 goals each on their balance. The match against Lviv residents was the 14th clean sheet in the career of Oleksandriia’s goalkeeper Oleh Bilyk (39 games in total). According to this indicator, he came in second place in the history of the club – only the record of the legendary Yuriy Pankiv, who has 39 shutouts in 131 matches, stands ahead.

Match background

Shakhtar and Oleksandriia met 26 times in the Ukrainian Championship: the Miners won 19 matches, 4 matches ended in a draw, in 3 games Oleksandrians turned out to be stronger. Total goal difference: 48–23 in favor of the Orange-and-Blacks.

Previous meeting

On December 11, 2021, Oleksandriia hosted Shakhtar at the Nika Stadium. The teams finished the first half without goals scored, and in the 63rd minute Oleh Kozhushko did an accurate head-kick and brought the Oleksandrians forward. The Miners' response was quick: in the 70th minute, Manor Solomon sent the ball to the upper V with an excellent kick. In the 78th minute, Junior Moraes, who returned from injury and more than half a year's pause, outplayed the goalkeeper in close combat and secured the Miners a 2-1 victory.

A team of referees headed by Vitaliy Romanov will serve the Shakhtar vs Oleksandriia match. Assistants: Yaroslav Trekhlib and Yevhen Petrakov. The game will run the VAR system.