Preview

September 28, Lviv, Ukraine, 19:00
Live broadcast on ZIK channel

Before the match

Shakhtar are topping the league table with 24 points. Paulo Fonseca’s men approach this round enjoying a 6 win streak, 4 of which are clean sheets. Junior Moraes has topped the scorers list (8 goals), being the best assist provider along with Taison (5 assists each).
 
This coming Tuesday, the Orange-Blacks will have an away UCL game vs Lyon, but the competitive situation in the UPL implies the need to fully focus on the tough match in Lviv. Yesterday, in the rescheduled game, Dynamo defeated Mariupol and reduced the gap between them and Shakhtar to 4 points.
 
On September 27, the Miners held their final training before flying to Lviv.
 
Opponents
 
Before the encounter with the league leaders, Karpaty are in the 10th spot (2 wins, 3 draws and 4 defeats). At the same time, the standings are so tight that the Miners’ opponents are just 3 points in front of the 5th-spot Zorya.
 
In mid-August, the team was headed by the Portuguese Jose Morais, having no home wins yet, however they sensationally defeated Dynamo 2-0 in Kyiv through a brace by Maryan Shved. The Lviv team kept the score for about 35 minutes playing with just ten men, ultimately securing the successful outcome.
 
In the 9th round, Karpaty were tied in a derby with Lviv. In the 74th minute, the green-white midfielder Serhii Myakushko got himself on the scoresheet, with Bruno equalising shortly – 1-1. Jorge Carrascal missed this game due to suspension.
 
On Tuesday, the opponents reached the Ukrainian Cup round of 16 after thrashing Sumy 3-0 away (Oleh Holodyuk, Rodrigo Vargas and Oleksii Hutsulyak).
 
Head-to-head record
 
In 50 league games, Shakhtar earned 33 wins, Karpaty had 9 wins, alongside 8 draws. The goal difference is 101-35. The Miners earned maximum points away on 12 occasions (39 goals scored and 25 conceded ones).
 
Previous league meeting 
 
On March 4, the Orange-Blacks demolished the opponents in Lviv. Before the break, the hosts kept their goal intact: a powerful effort by Ismaily was saved by Pidkivka, with Marlos shooting wide at the end of the first half. Shakhtar opened the scoring in the 55th minute, with Bernard being the first on the ball to finish off the rebound after the keeper’s unsuccessful save. Fifteen minutes later, Patrick launched an attack through Ismaily and Dentinho, received a return pass and doubled the lead, and with Ismaily sealing the win and making it 3-0.