Preview

November 23, Kharkiv, OSK Metalist, 19:00
Live broadcast on the Futbol 1 channel

Before the match

Another international break is over now. Before the close of the calendar year, Shakhtar have to take part in 5 important meetings: 3 league ones and 2 Champions League ones. The first opponents will be Yurii Bakalov’s Lviv this Friday.
 
Yesterday, the Miners had an open training session in Sviatoshyno. Reporters had the opportunity to pose questions to Paulo Fonseca, Viktor Kovalenko, and Wellington Nem. In general, the Orange-and-Blacks expect an interesting and challenging clash, with the opponents having deserved a few compliments for play organisation and defensive compactness.
 
Shakhtar are topping the table enjoying an 8-point lead over the closest pursuers. On November 11, the champions defeated Vorskla in Poltava (2-0 through the goals by Nem and Maycon). Due to suspension, that match was missed by Taras Stepanenko, who is already available and has arrived with the team to Kharkiv. Sergii Kryvtsov is injured, Marlos and Bohdan Butko continue to recover.
 
Opponents

Having 18 points, Lviv sit in the 8th spot in the league table. The 5th-spot Zorya are just 3 points ahead of Yurii Bakalov’s team. There are another 7 rounds until the end of the league’s stage 1, so in case of the successful performance and circumstances, the Galicians may well get into the top six. After Shakhtar, the Lviv team will meet with their competitors along with the rest of the teams (Mariupol, Karpaty, Zorya and Desna).
 
After beating Arsenal-Kyiv and Dynamo with the same score of 1-0, the team scored 1 point in two home games. On November 4, Lviv suffered a defeat at the hands of Vorskla (0-2), and on November 10, they shared the points with Olimpik (1-1). In the recent round, the Brazilian forward Bruno was suspended.
 
Head-to-head record
 
After 3 games, Shakhtar have 2 wins and 1 defeat. The goal difference is 4–2.
 
Previous league game
 
In the 5th round in August, the Miners dominated possession from the first seconds, regularly delivering the ball to the penalty area of Lviv. Rakits’kyy managed to excel near the own and opposing goal with a good long-range shot and ball clearance off the line after Augusto’s attempt. Then, Marlos finished off a move involving Taison and Moraes, with Shakhtar taking the lead. The figures on the scoreboard did not change nearly until the final whistle. Bandura saved Patrick's attempt towards the roof of the net, with the sub player Bolbat sealing the win in the 90th minute by making it 2-0.