Preview

March 10, Kharkiv, OSK Metalist, 17:00
Live broadcast on Futbol 1 TV channel
 
Before the match
 
Two rounds before the end of the UPL stage one, Shakhtar enjoy a seven-point lead. Paulo Fonseca’s men are to play only Karpaty and Zorya before a short international break.
 
Yesterday, the Orange-and-Blacks held an open training session at the Sviatoshyn suburban complex. The focus was on play and tactical exercises. Reporters were able to pose questions to Marlos and Mykola Matviienko who shared their opinions about Karpaty and spoke about their mood before the important encounter.
 
On Sunday, Sergii Kryvtsov, who has earned his fourth card in the game vs Chornomorets, will not take to the pitch in Kharkiv. We want to add that the winter newcomers Valerii Bondarenko, Marcos Antonio, and Tete have been working in anticipation of their debuts for Shakhtar.
 
You can purchase the match tickets online, at shakhtar.com, and at the OSK Metalist ticket office.
 
Opponents
 
In 2019, Karpaty have been playing under the guidance of a new coach. In the autumn, the team was headed by the Portuguese Jose Morais, who later went to work in South Korea, with Oleh Boichyshyn being an interim coach for a while, and with the Spaniard Fabri Gonzalez taking charge of the team in January after working at 20 clubs over the past 20 years.
 
The Lviv team started the calendar year successfully by thrashing Vorskla 4-0 in Poltava (goal by Di Franco, a hat-trick by Shved), but in the next round, they suffered a narrow defeat in the derby in Lviv (Mekhremich's own goal in the first half). The Green-and-Whites are sitting in the 9th spot in the standings with 20 points, without the threat of getting into the relegation zone, but also without a chance of reaching the second stage in a higher position.
 
Due to earning four yellow cards, Papa Gueye will miss the meeting with Shakhtar.
 
Head-to-head record
 
After 51 games in the league, Shakhtar have 34 wins, Karpaty have 9 wins, plus 8 draws. The goal difference is 107–36. The Miners have not suffered a single home defeat: +21=4–0, 62–10.
 
Previous league meeting
 
The round-one match in Lviv was very fruitful. In the 13th minute, Rakits’kyy laid the foundation for the defeat by his magnificent penalty kick, with Fernando rounding off an excellent piece by Taison and Ismaily, then Moraes and Marlos got their names on the scoresheet. And even that was not enough: Marlos struck and the ball went home off Borodai's leg – 0-5. The second 45 minutes became a formality, but Shakhtar continued attacks to meet every taste, with Matviienko netting another goal after Patrick's pass late in the game. Karpaty just managed to score a consolation goal before the final whistle – 1-6.