Preview

Before the match
 
Last weekend, Paulo Fonseca’s men confidently defeated Olimpik (2-0 through the precision shots by Facundo Ferreyra and Marlos).
 
On August 22, after two day of rest, Shakhtar resumed training and started preparing for the encounter with the season’s debutants. After 6 rounds, Shakhtar Donetsk have 15 points and sit in the second spot.

Opponents
 
In 2017, Veres turns 55. In their home city, the club has Avanhard stadium to undergo major refurbishment. Yurii Virt’s men play the 2017/18 Premier League games at the Arena Lviv.
  
The Rivne side play in the Ukrainian top flight for the first time since the 1994/95 season. The football year started for them with 3 consecutive draws with the same score of 0-0 (Mariupol, Oleksandriia and Olimpik). In the fourth round, Veres claimed their first victory (3-1 over Zirka), then losing to Zorya in Lviv. On August 19, in Odesa, they claimed three more points through a goal by Volodymyr Adamiuk in injury time.
  
The Rivne side sit in the fifth place with 9 points, enjoying a narrow lead over Mariupol and pursuing Olimpik. Veres is one of the least productive teams in the league (being just ahead of the bottom-spot Chornomorets). However, the Miners’ opponents conceded only 2 goals.
  
Head-to-head record
 
The opponents had 6 meetings in the Ukrainian league: four of them ended in favour of Shakhtar, with one draw and one win by Veres. The goal difference is 11-4 in favour of the Donetsk team.
 
The Orange-and-Blacks claimed 2 away wins in 3 games, losing just once. The goal difference is 5-3.
 
Previous league meeting
 
On 6 April 1995, the Miners’ scored two unanswered goals vs Veres at the Central Stadium Shakhtar (with Serhii Onopko and Ihor Petrov netting goals).