Preview

February 25, Kharkiv, OSK Metalist, 19:00
Live broadcast on Futbol 1 channel
 
Before the match
 
The Ukrainian Championship resumes after a long winter break. The 19th round will be closed by its major game in Kharkiv that will see the top side and the third side lock horns.
 
After the training camp, Shakhtar already played a two-legged tie vs Eintracht in the Europa League round of 32. Paulo Fonseca’s men are in good shape and are ready to defend their championship with full force. Their first opponents are the strong Oleksandriia who are always resolute about taking points away from the league leaders, also boasting a win at Dynamo in the autumn. The tickets are available.
 
This winter, the Miners replenished their squad with Oleksandriia’s defender Valeii Bondarenko, but he will not play against his former club due to suspension. Sergii Kryvtsov, David Khocholava, Mykola Matviienko, and Valerii Bondar are available for the centre-back role, with the latter being put on the subs list in Frankfurt.
 
Opponents
 
The Oleksandriia manager Volodymyr Sharan stresses that the opening competitive game in Kharkiv is crucial in terms of the players’ mental side: the objective is to decently fight the champions and confirm the high profile of third-spot team who compete for one of the top three spots.
 
The Yellow-and-Blacks’ unbeaten run lasted from round 10 through round 17 in the UPL, having seen 6 wins and 2 draws. Only in the last meeting of the year, they suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Lviv, letting Dynamo rise to the second spot.
 
In the winter, Oleksandriia had two training camps including 9 games in Turkey. The newcomers Denys Dedechko, Valerii Luchkevych and Vladyslav Kulach on loan from Shakhtar have fitted in with the squad. On February 23, the team’s plane will touch down in Kharkiv, they will hold a training session the next day. We want to add that Dmytro Shastal will not appear, with the availability of Vasyl Hrytsuk still being questioned.
 
Head-to-head record
 
In 15 games, the Orange-and-Blacks claimed 13 victories, along with one defeat and one draw. The goal scoring stats is 31–11 in favour of the Miners. It is noteworthy that in the championship, Shakhtar always scored goals vs Oleksandriia, as well as in their four meetings with Poligraftekhnika (2000–2002).
 
Previous league game
 
On September 15, the champions claimed a 2-0 win at the Nika stadium. During that period, Oleksandriia were the closest pursuers of the Miners, being only two points behind, with their UPL unbeaten home run lasting more than a year. In the 26th minute, Marlos brought Shakhtar in front owning to Bolbat's assist, with Kovalenko sealing the late win after Patrick’s pass.