Preview

December 7, Mariupol, Volodymyr Boiko Stadium, 17:00
Live broadcast on Futbol 1 TV channel
 
Before the match
 
This will be Shakhtar’s final Premier League game in 2018. The champions are approaching the game after 2 draws in a row (0-0 vs Lviv and 2-2 vs Olimpik). In this regard, the gap between them and Oleksandriia reduced to 6 points.
 
At the beginning of the week, Marlos returned to the general group after being out or six weeks due to injury. On Thursday, the Miners flew to Zaporizhya and then reached Mariupol by bus. Maycon will not participate in the game vs Mariupol due to suspension.
 
Opponents
 
Mariupol have been competing for a place among the top six sides. In the last round, the men of Oleksandr Babich were content with a draw with Lviv, being one point ahead of Desna who lost to Zorya.
 
Last time, the team won 2 games in a row in September. After that, Mariupol had alternate outcomes: they claimed maximum points vs Chornomorets, Zorya, Arsenal and Vorskla, being tied with Karpaty and Lviv, and suffering defeats at the hands of Desna and Dynamo (twice).
 
In 6 previous encounters, Mariupol scored 7 goals, moreover, Andrii Boriachuk, Oleksandr Zubkov and Vladyslav Vakula scored 2 goals each. Another goal belongs to Oleksandr Pikhalyonok.
 
Head-to-head record
 
The teams have met 39 times: 36 wins for Shakhtar, 3 draws, the goal difference of 101–25.
 
On the field of Mariupol, the Miners claimed 17 wins, along with two draws. The Orange-and-Blacks scored 46 goals, the home team scored 14 goals.
 
Previous league meeting
 
In Kharkiv on September 1, Shakhtar seized the advantage right after the opening whistle. Moraes and Rakits’kyy delivered several dangerous shots, with Taison and Nem later forcing Halchuk to work really hard. Paulo Fonseca’s men opened the scoring shortly before the break, when Moraes finished off the attack involving Taison and Ismaily with a precision volley. Early in the second half, Vakula made a threatening attempt – Pyatov showed great reflexes. And in the 56th minute, after Marlos's pass to Nem, Dava scored an own goal, making it 2-0.