U21. Shakhtar – Zirka: match preview
Friday, February 23, 2018
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In the U21 League round 21, Shakhtar will receive their Zirka Kropyvnytskyi counterparts
February 25, Schaslyve, Kniazha Arena, 14:00
Before the match
This meeting will be the Miners’ second after the winter break. In the previous round, they failed to beat Chornomorets (0-1), losing the lead in the standings for the first time this season. Currently, the Shakhtar U21 team have 40 points (goal difference of 43-13), going two points adrift of the top spot.
The Miners had ten days to prepare for the encounter with Zirka, with Valeriy Kryventsov losing three important players at once: Valerii Bondar, Viktor Korniienko and Oleksii Kaschuk. On February 20 and 22, they took part in two test matches with Ukraine U19 team vs Greece U19 as part of the preparation for the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship elite round, having joined Shakhtar U21 just before the league match.
Opponents
Zirka sit in the U21 League bottom spot, claiming only 10 points in 20 rounds. The team scored the least goals (12) and conceded the most goals (54). To differ from the first part of the season, when they surprised us with the victories over Chornomorets (2-0) and Karpaty (2-1), currently, the Kropyvnytskyi U21 have been suffering a series of six major defeats with the aggregate score of 0-19. In the previous round, Vitalii Rozgon’s lads suffered a home defeat to Mariupol (0-3).
Head-to-head record
Previously, the opponents played three times: 2 matches proved successful for Shakhtar (6-0 and 4-0), with one more encounter ending in a draw (0-0). The goal difference is 10-0 in favour of the Donetsk team.
Most recent meeting
September 22, 2017. Dolynska.
Zirka U21 0-4 Shakhtar U21
Goals: 0-1 Arabidze (10), 0-2 Sahutkin (40), 0-3 Ihnatenko (62), 0-4 Zinkevyh (81, pen.)
Before the match
This meeting will be the Miners’ second after the winter break. In the previous round, they failed to beat Chornomorets (0-1), losing the lead in the standings for the first time this season. Currently, the Shakhtar U21 team have 40 points (goal difference of 43-13), going two points adrift of the top spot.
The Miners had ten days to prepare for the encounter with Zirka, with Valeriy Kryventsov losing three important players at once: Valerii Bondar, Viktor Korniienko and Oleksii Kaschuk. On February 20 and 22, they took part in two test matches with Ukraine U19 team vs Greece U19 as part of the preparation for the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship elite round, having joined Shakhtar U21 just before the league match.
Opponents
Zirka sit in the U21 League bottom spot, claiming only 10 points in 20 rounds. The team scored the least goals (12) and conceded the most goals (54). To differ from the first part of the season, when they surprised us with the victories over Chornomorets (2-0) and Karpaty (2-1), currently, the Kropyvnytskyi U21 have been suffering a series of six major defeats with the aggregate score of 0-19. In the previous round, Vitalii Rozgon’s lads suffered a home defeat to Mariupol (0-3).
Head-to-head record
Previously, the opponents played three times: 2 matches proved successful for Shakhtar (6-0 and 4-0), with one more encounter ending in a draw (0-0). The goal difference is 10-0 in favour of the Donetsk team.
Most recent meeting
September 22, 2017. Dolynska.
Zirka U21 0-4 Shakhtar U21
Goals: 0-1 Arabidze (10), 0-2 Sahutkin (40), 0-3 Ihnatenko (62), 0-4 Zinkevyh (81, pen.)