Preview

November 3, Kharkiv, OSK Metalist, 17:00
Live broadcast on Futbol 2 channel

Before the match

On Wednesday, the Miners made it past Olimpik in the domestic Cup round of 16 and stayed in Kharkiv to prepare for the major league game. On November 1, Paulo Fonseca, Andriy Pyatov, Ismaily and Junior Moraes met with the fans, opened the club’s photo exhibition and signed autographs.
 
Shakhtar are the UPL leaders, being five points clear of Dynamo. In October, after being tied with Zorya, the champions defeated Desna (1-0) and Arsenal-Kyiv (3-0) in succession, strengthening their top standing through the opponents’ failure. The Orange-and-Blacks’ objective for the upcoming head-to-head game is cementing their lead, with the fans in the stands of the OSK Metalist being the major force to help the team with that.
 
The personnel situation deserves special mention. Kayode will miss the game due to suspension, Fernando is injured, Taras Stepanenko’s participation is uncertain, Taison and Marlos are recovering.
 
Opponents
 
After enjoying a streak of 5 wins, the White-and-Blues lost 3 points in their round 13 home game vs Lviv (0-1). Midway through the week, Aleksandr Khatskevich’s men defeated Minai in the Cup tie (3-1 through a brace by Mykola Shaparenko and a goal by Denys Harmash). The Kyiv team approach the encounter with Shakhtar with two personnel losses: Artem Besedin missed the recent 4 games due to the Achilles tendon injury, with Tamas Kadar being suspended.
 
Head-to-head record
 
In the Ukrainian Championship, the teams met 58 times: 19 wins for Shakhtar, 24 for Dynamo, and 15 draws. The aggregate goal difference is 67–75.
 
At home, the Orange-and-Blacks secured 11 wins, along with 9 draws and 8 defeats. The goal difference is 36–29 in favour of the Miners.
 
Previous league meeting
 
In the first stage, Dynamo won 1-0 at the NSC Olympiyskyi. The decisive shot was produced by Verbic following Tsyhankov's set-piece delivery in the 65th minute. Then, the Kyivans focussed their attention on defence and counterattacked only, although Shakhtar still created their own chances: Moraes struck wide, Boyko saved an attempt by Totovytskyi, with Patrick's shot whizzing just inches off the post in injury time.