Game Day. "Metalist 1925" - "Kudrivka"
April 18, 2026. Zhytomyr, "Central City Stadium". 24th round of the Ukrainian Premier League. The match starts at 15:30
Referee - Dmytro Yevtukhov (Dnipro)
Assistant referees - Yevhen Petrakov (Cherkasy region) and Maksym Chos (Kyiv region)
Fourth official - Dmytro Osaulenko (Kyiv)
VAR referee - Oleksandr Shandor (Lviv)
VAR assistant - Artem Mykhailiuk (Kyiv)
VAR observer - Yuriy Moseychuk (Chernivtsi)
UAF arbitration observer - Mykola Levko (Chernivtsi)
Live broadcast of the match on the TV channel UPL.TV.
Preview: "Metalist 1925" approaches the match in good spirits as Mladen Bartulovich's team finished the week with a scandalous match against "Veres". The Kharkiv team not only extended their streak without conceding goals but also convincingly defeated their opponent with a score of 4:0, achieving one of the biggest victories of the season. And forward Peter Itodo completed a hat-trick, bringing his total goals for the season to 12. Overall, before the start of the round, "Metalist 1925" was in 4th place with 41 points (goal difference: 29-13), ahead of the closest pursuer "Dynamo" due to a head-to-head advantage. It is worth noting that in the match against "Kudrivka," experienced Artem Shabanov will not be able to play due to an accumulation of yellow cards. And Viacheslav Churko continues his recovery from an injury sustained in the game against "Shakhtar."
"Kudrivka" is having its debut season in the elite of Ukrainian football. While the team had a good start to the season, Vasily Baranov's team is currently going through a rough patch. The team from Chernihiv region has suffered three consecutive defeats in their last matches, scoring only once. The last victory for "Kudrivka" dates back to March 2 when they defeated "Poltava" 2:0. Currently, "Kudrivka" has 21 points (goal difference: 25-38) and occupies the 13th place in the UPL. It is worth mentioning that two players on the team were loaned from "Metalist 1925": Denys Nangoyny and Raymond Ovusu, but both will miss the match due to suspension.
The history of the teams' encounters includes 3 games. Last season, in the First League, the teams played a draw 1:1, and "Kudrivka" also recorded a 2:0 victory. This season, in the first round match, the teams played a draw again - 1:1 (overall goal difference: 2-4).
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Ukrainian Premier League. Round 8
Friday, April 17
15:30 "Dynamo" - "Zorya" - 3:1
18:00 "Obolon" - "Poltava" - 1:1
Saturday, April 18
13:00 "Kolos" - "LNZ" -
15:30 "Metalist 1925" - "Kudrivka" -
Sunday, April 19
13:00 "Kryvbas" - "Rukh" -
15:30 "Epicenter" - "Karpaty" -
Monday, April 20
13:00. "Oleksandriya" - "Veres"
18:00 "Shakhtar" - "Polissya"
"Kudrivka" (Kudrivka). Profile
Established - 1980
Club colors - white and blue
Home stadium - "Obolon Arena" (capacity: 5,100 spectators)
President – Roman Solodarenko
Head coach – Vitaliy Kostyshyn (de facto Vasily Baranov)
Official website - https://fckudrivka.com/
Historical background:
History: Football club "Kudrivka" was created back in the Soviet era and existed at the amateur level. Later, the team from a village in Chernihiv region disappeared from the amateur scene of the region until 2006. Between 2006 and 2020, the team competed at the district and regional levels. It wasn't until 2020 that "Kudrivka" first played in the Ukrainian Amateur Championship. In the 2023-2024 season, "Kudrivka" played in the Second League for the first time, finishing 7th, but due to the merger with "Nyva-Buzova," the team earned the right to compete in the First League, where it played under the name "Kudrivka-Nyva." In its debut season, the team finished 4th and earned the right to participate in the playoffs. There, "Kudrivka" swiftly defeated "Vorskla" and for the first time in its history entered the UPL.
Achievements: Chernihiv Oblast Cup - 2019, 2021, 2022
Chernihiv Oblast Champion - 2021, 2022
Chernihiv Oblast Super Cup - 2021, 2022
Geography: "Kudrivka" has a rather atypical situation with the geographical distribution of the club's fans. Since the club is the only representative of Chernihiv Oblast in the UPL, it has significant support in the region. Also, "Kudrivka" has a wide fan base in western Kyiv, where the team played home matches in PFL tournaments and still has its base. Additionally, this season "Kudrivka" has increased interest in itself even in Kyiv, as this year the team plays home matches at the "Obolon" stadium.
Head Coach: In fact, Vasil Baranov manages the "Kudrivka" team. His player career started in his hometown club "Zorya," from where he moved to "Slovanets" from Konotop. Further in Baranov's career, he played for Belarusian clubs "Dnepr" and "Smorgon," and the last club was "Vaprus" from Estonia.
Vasyl Anatoliyovych started his coaching career in the youth team of "Zorya," then moved to "Vorskla" (also in the U19 team). Later, the coach assisted Roman Loktionov in "Kudrivka" for half a year, after which he became the head coach of the team.
Transfer Market: The "Kudrivka" squad is predominantly composed of Ukrainian players. It is also noticeable that the club often practices loan deals with top clubs, providing playing time for young players. The total value of the team's squad is estimated at 6 million 900 thousand euros (more modest figures only in "Epicenter" and "Poltava"). The most expensive player in the squad is Oleksiy Husev, loaned from Kyiv's "Dynamo," with a player value of 500 thousand euros. The squad includes foreign players from Ecuador, Congo, Nigeria, and Ghana.
