Shakhtar vs Dynamo: preview

Before the match

Shakhtar will play their first official match with Paulo Fonseca at the helm. During the period of preparation for the season, the Pitmen have played six friendlies with the new head coach. The team landed in Odesa on July 13, immediately after their training camp in the Netherlands.

We want to note that Yevhen Seleznyov, Bohdan Butko and Vyacheslav Tankovskyi, who played for other clubs in the previous seasons, are back on Shakhtar’s first-team squad list.

Referee – Anatoliy Abdula (Kharkiv)
Assistant referees – Serhiy Bekker, Oleh Pluzhnyk (both from Kharkiv)
Fourth official –  Oleksandr Derdo (Chornomorsk)
Reserve assistant referee – Ihor Bytskalo (Odesa)
Referee observer – Ihor Khiblin (Khmelnytskyi)

Opponents

Dynamo were preparing for the season in Austria, where the team played eight friendly games.

The departure of the Portuguese Miguel Veloso is the opponents’ only significant personnel loss. At the same time, the Kyiv team acquired a former Vorskla player Artem Hromov and Oleksandr Gladkyy.

We want to add that Andriy Yarmolenko will miss the match vs Shakhtar due to suspension.

Super Cup background

The opponents had eight meetings in the Super Cup games. In normal time, Shakhtar and Dynamo won twice each. Four matches ended in a draw. The goal difference is 10-10. After drawing it, the fate of the trophy was determined in a penalty shoot-out, with the Donetsk and Kyiv sides boasting two wins each.

A year ago, the teams also met in Odesa. After 90 minutes of tense game the score remained 0-0, but in injury time Shakhtar managed to beat the opponents. Shovkovskyi brought Teixeira down in the penalty area and was sent off, with Srna confidently converting the spot kick. Two minutes later, Kovalenko assisted Bernard, who sealed the 2-0 win for the Pitmen.

Interesting facts

Shakhtar lifted the Ukrainian Super Cup seven times, while Dynamo did it five times.

In the games vs Dynamo in all competitions, the Pitmen have kept a clean sheet for 499 minutes.