Preview

November 19, Uzhhorod, Avanhard, 13:00
Live broadcast will be available on 2+2

Match build-up

Shakhtar continue their path in the championship without defeats: the Miners have 9 wins and 3 draws in 11 matches (goal difference: 25-7). Igor Jovicevic’s team are 2nd in the table with 27 points being 5 points behind the leaders and having a match in hand. The Pitmen tied with Zorya (2-2) in the previous round under questionable refereeing with two disallowed goals. Artem Bondarenko and Valerii Bondar scored against the opponents – they both have to play now on the right flank instead of their injured teammates.

Igor Jovicevic will face his former team for the first team. The Croatian had 41 matches in the UPL as Dnipro-1 coach. The manager of the Orange-and-Blacks again cannot count on right defender Yukhym Konoplia, as well as wingers Oleksandr Zubkov and Marian Shaved, they all continue to recover and work individually. Herewith, the most prolific players of the team, Mykhailo Mudryk (8 scored goals and 8 assists in 16 matches of the season) and Dmytro Kryskiv, who has consolidated his position in the squad (2 goals, 2 assists and earned penalty in the last UPL games), are ready to play.

Opponents

Dnipro-1, who have finished the previous season on the third spot, lead the UPL tournament table in the current championship: 10 wins and 3 draws in 12 matches (32 points). The team defeated their opponents 3-0 for 4 times (Dynamo, Metalist 1925, Lviv, Zorya) and are the most prolific (28 scored goals at 7 conceded ones). We want to note that Dnipro-1, just like Shakhtar, ensured themselves a European spring according to the results of the first part of the season and will play in the UEFA Europa Conference League Round of 32.

Leaders of the current squad are still Ukraine national team player Artem Dovbyk topping the scoring race in the UPL with 9 goals (he has 14 goals and 4 assists totally in 20 matches) and main team ideator Oleksandr Pikhalyonok (6 goals and 5 assists), who is a Shakhtar graduate. It is also interesting that Shakhtar’s former legendary defender Oleksandr Kucher is a coach of the Dnipro-based team: he spent 11 years in the Donetsk club, played 295 matches for the Orange-and-Blacks and won 20 trophies with them.

Match background

Shakhtar and Dnipro-1 have played 5 matches in the Ukrainian League where the Miners won 5 times with the total goal difference of 11–2. The highest score was recorded in 2020/21 season when the Orange-and-Blacks hammered the opponents at home 4-1.

Previous meeting

On September 11, 2021, Shakhtar and Dnipro-1 met at the NSC Olimpiyskiy in Kyiv. Brazilian forward Fernando put the Pitmen in the lead with his shot from outside the penalty area in the 15th minute. The team had the chance to change the score before the end of the first half: Dovbyk’s header just shattered the goalpost and Fernando’s attempt was blocked by Cojocaru. The second half was in a careful positional struggle, but closer to the end of the game, the Dnipro-based team were forced to open up and the Orange-and-Blacks used it: in the 87th minute, Lassina Traore received the ball from Alan Patrick, scooped it in the penalty box and fired it right home from behind the defender. 2-0 – Shakhtar’s victory.

Dnipro-1 vs Shakhtar match will be officiated by the judging panel headed by Viktor Kopiievskyi. Assistants: Semen Shlonchak and Andrii Skrypka. VAR system will be used during the game (Mykola Balakin will be the referee).