LNZ vs Shakhtar: match preview
Sunday, April 12, 2026
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Shakhtar to play LNZ away on the UPL round 23
April 13, Cherkasy, Cherkasy Arena, 13:00
The live broadcast will be available on UPL.TV
Match build-up
Ahead of their head-to-head meeting, the league leaders are level on points – both teams currently have 50. The Miners, however, have a game in hand and a superior goal difference: 51-12. Since the winter break, Arda Turan’s side have been on a run of five consecutive wins in the UPL: The Pitmen thrashed Rukh (3-0) in the previous round through a brace from Eguinaldo and a goal from Meirelles. Shakhtar’s top scorers this season are Kaua Elias (11 goals and 5 assists), Luca Meirelles (9 goals and 1 assist) and Pedrinho (8 goals and 9 assists).
Shakhtar continue to represent Ukraine on the European stage. Last Thursday, the Miners secured a convincing 3-0 win over AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals. That match was special for the team, as club president Rinat Akhmetov was present in the stands for the first time in nearly 12 years.
Opponents
After two disappointing results at the start of the spring part of the season (a league defeat to Polissia and elimination from the Ukrainian Cup by Bukovyna), LNZ have returned to winning ways. Vitalii Ponomarov’s side have won their last four Ukrainian Premier League matches: against Veres (3-0), Oleksandriia (2-0), Rukh (2-1) and Kryvbas (3-0), and currently share top spot in the table with 50 points (goal difference: 33-12). The standout performer in recent games has been 24-year-old forward Danylo Kravchuk, who scored the winner against the Lviv side and netted a brace in Kryvyi Rih. The team’s top scorer is Ghanaian Mark Assinor (8 goals and 1 assist).
Match background
The teams have faced each other five times in the UPL: 4 wins for the Miners, with the opponents proving stronger once. Total goal difference: 16-6 in favour of the Orange-and-Blacks.
Previous meeting
On 5 October 2025, the sides met at Arena Lviv in the first-round match. The Cherkasy team opened the scoring early through Kuzyk, and after the break they capitalised on counterattacks to add three more (Assinor, Riabov and Prosper on target), while the Orange-and-Blacks replied only with a goal from Nazaryna. A 1–4 defeat that remains Shakhtar’s only loss in the league so far.
Zorya vs LNZ match will be officiated by the judging panel headed by Oleksandr Shandor. Assistant referees – Denys Marchenko and Stanislav Marulin. VAR – Viktor Kopiievskyi. VAR assistant – Volodymyr Vysotskyi.
The live broadcast will be available on UPL.TV
Match build-up
Ahead of their head-to-head meeting, the league leaders are level on points – both teams currently have 50. The Miners, however, have a game in hand and a superior goal difference: 51-12. Since the winter break, Arda Turan’s side have been on a run of five consecutive wins in the UPL: The Pitmen thrashed Rukh (3-0) in the previous round through a brace from Eguinaldo and a goal from Meirelles. Shakhtar’s top scorers this season are Kaua Elias (11 goals and 5 assists), Luca Meirelles (9 goals and 1 assist) and Pedrinho (8 goals and 9 assists).
Shakhtar continue to represent Ukraine on the European stage. Last Thursday, the Miners secured a convincing 3-0 win over AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals. That match was special for the team, as club president Rinat Akhmetov was present in the stands for the first time in nearly 12 years.
Opponents
After two disappointing results at the start of the spring part of the season (a league defeat to Polissia and elimination from the Ukrainian Cup by Bukovyna), LNZ have returned to winning ways. Vitalii Ponomarov’s side have won their last four Ukrainian Premier League matches: against Veres (3-0), Oleksandriia (2-0), Rukh (2-1) and Kryvbas (3-0), and currently share top spot in the table with 50 points (goal difference: 33-12). The standout performer in recent games has been 24-year-old forward Danylo Kravchuk, who scored the winner against the Lviv side and netted a brace in Kryvyi Rih. The team’s top scorer is Ghanaian Mark Assinor (8 goals and 1 assist).
Match background
The teams have faced each other five times in the UPL: 4 wins for the Miners, with the opponents proving stronger once. Total goal difference: 16-6 in favour of the Orange-and-Blacks.
Previous meeting
On 5 October 2025, the sides met at Arena Lviv in the first-round match. The Cherkasy team opened the scoring early through Kuzyk, and after the break they capitalised on counterattacks to add three more (Assinor, Riabov and Prosper on target), while the Orange-and-Blacks replied only with a goal from Nazaryna. A 1–4 defeat that remains Shakhtar’s only loss in the league so far.
Zorya vs LNZ match will be officiated by the judging panel headed by Oleksandr Shandor. Assistant referees – Denys Marchenko and Stanislav Marulin. VAR – Viktor Kopiievskyi. VAR assistant – Volodymyr Vysotskyi.