Game Day. "Metalist 1925" - "Polissya"
May 3, 2026. Zhytomyr, "Central City Stadium". 26th round of UPL. The match starts at 15:30
Referee - Andriy Kovalenko (Poltava)
Assistant referees - Volodymyr Vysotskyi (Zaporizhzhia) and Denys Serdiuk (Poltava)
Fourth official - Oleh Kohut (Ternopil)
VAR referee - Dmytro Yevtukhov (Dnipro)
VAR assistant - Oleksandr Omelchenko (Slovyansk)
VAR observer - Viktor Derdo (Chornomorsk)
UAF arbitration observer - Serhii Dziuba (Khmelnytskyi)
Denko R. Vegat UAF — Didenko R.V.
Live broadcast of the match on the TV channel UPL.TV.
Preview: After being eliminated from the Cup, "Metalist 1925" focused solely on UPL and is still fighting for a spot in the European competition zone. Currently, Kharkiv is in 5th place with 45 points (goal difference: 31-14). In the previous round, Mladen Bartulovich's team secured a draw in a tough away match against "LNZ" in Cherkasy. Peter Itodo scored the only goal, making it his 8th in 21 championship matches.
"Polissya" is currently in the race for the top spots, occupying 3rd place in the table. Zhytomyr with 49 points (goal difference: 44-17) is aiming for silver medals this season. After a defeat to "Shakhtar" in a direct match, Ruslan Rotan's team bounced back by defeating "Obolon" at home with a score of 3:1. Interestingly, defender Eduard Sarapiy scored a brace in the match against "the brewers". However, the top scorers of the team this season are the attacking players: Oleksiy Hutsuliak and Mykola Hayduchyk (both with 8 goals each). In the match against "Metalist 1925", "the wolves" will be without midfielder Ilir Krasnichi due to suspension. For the same reason, Ruslan Rotan's assistant, Serhii Kravchenko, will be absent from the bench.
Overall, the teams have met 7 times in various tournaments (twice in the AAFU championship, twice in the First League, and 3 times at the UPL level). In five matches, the referees recorded draws, and each team won once (total goal difference: 6-6).
Every fan can contribute to the "Vampires" fund by making a donation using the provided link or QR code displayed on the match poster.
UPL, 26th round
Friday, May 1
18:00 "Poltava" - "Kryvbas" - 3:3
Saturday, May 2
13:00 "Oleksandriya" - "Kolos" - 0:3
15:30 "Veres" - "Epitsentr" - 3:3
18:00 "Karpaty" - "LNZ" - 0:0
Sunday, May 3
13:00 "Obolon" - "Kudrivka" -
15:30 "Metalist 1925" - "Polissya" -
18:00 "Dynamo" - "Shakhtar" -
Monday, May 4
18:00 "Rukh" - "Zorya" -
"Polissya" (Zhytomyr). Profile
Year of foundation - 1959
Club colors - green, yellow, black
Home stadium - "Central" (Zhytomyr, Feshchenka-Chopivskoho St., 18, capacity: 5,928 spectators)
President - Hennadii Butkevych
Head coach - Ruslan Rotan
Official website - https://polissyafc.com/
Historical background:For the first time in Zhytomyr FC "Polissya" was created based on the sports society "Avangard" in 1959. During the Soviet Union times, the Zhytomyr team once won the championship of the Ukrainian SSR (Second League) and twice became the winner of the Ukrainian SSR Cup.
The first Championship of independent Ukraine "Polissya" played in the First League, but after the results, it dropped to the Second League. However, the "green-yellow" team did not stay there for long and already next season played again in the First League. In the second-ranked national division, "Polissya" spent the next seven seasons, after which it dropped down a class for one year. At the end of the 2001/2002 season, the Zhytomyr team took the fourth place in the First League, but lost the right to enter the elite of Ukrainian football in the play-off match against "Polihraftekhnika" from Oleksandriya.
After the first round of the 2004/2005 season, due to financial difficulties, "Polissya" withdrew from the competition, and the club ceased to exist.
In the summer of 2016, MFC "Zhytomyr" was created in Zhytomyr, and after the season in the AAFU Championship, it received a professional status. That season, the paths of "Metalist 1925" and the team from Zhytomyr crossed twice. A draw 0:0 was recorded in Kharkiv, and in Zhytomyr, our team won with a score of 2:1.
At the beginning of 2017, the club was named "Polissya".
The first season in the Second League, "Polissya" finished in eighth place in group "A". The team performed significantly better in the next two seasons, taking third and second places, respectively. The last success allowed the team to enter the First League for the first time in 15 years.
In the 2023-2024 season, FC "Polissya" became the winner of the first league. For the first time, the club from Zhytomyr earned the right to play in the elite division of Ukrainian football. In the first season in the elite, Zhytomyr's team secured the right to play in European competitions.
Achievements: USSR Champion - 1967
USSR Silver Medalist - 1972, 1990
USSR Bronze Medalist - 1971
Champion of Zhytomyr region - 1958
Winner of the Zhytomyr region Cup - 1958
First League Champion - 2022-2023
Second League Champion - 2000-2001
Geography: The fan base of FC "Polissya" primarily covers Zhytomyr and Zhytomyr region. An active fan group has formed here, which supports the team at home matches and often organizes trips to matches in other cities. Fans from Zhytomyr are gradually joined by supporters from surrounding cities - Berdychiv, Korosten, Novohrad-Volynskyi, Malyn, as well as individual fans from neighboring regions - Kyiv Oblast, Rivne Oblast, and Khmelnytskyi Oblast. The club actively works with local communities, schools, and children, helping to expand the fan base within the region. With "Polissya" entering the UPL, interest in the team has grown throughout Ukraine - more and more people associate the club with the modern symbol of the renewed Zhytomyr, and its support extends beyond the region.
Head Coach: The head coach of "Polissya" is 44-year-old Ruslan Rotan.
Playing career: "Dnipro" (Dnipropetrovsk) (1999-2005), "Dynamo" (Kyiv) (2005-2008), "Dnipro" (Dnipropetrovsk) (2008 - 2017), "Slavia" (Prague) (2017 - 2018).
Coaching career: "Olimpik" (Donetsk) (2018), Ukraine U21 national team (2019-2023), "Oleksandriya" (Oleksandriya) (2022 - 2025). Also, the coach with the Ukraine U23 national team went to the 2024 Olympic Games.
Transfermarkt: According to the portal, the total value of all team players is 32 million 300 thousand euros. The most expensive player in the team is winger Oleksiy Hutsuliak (million euros). And Georgiy Bushchan, Bohdan Mykhailichenko, and Oleksandr Nazarenko cost 2 million 500 thousand euros each. The team includes players from Georgia, Brazil, Albania, Israel, and Kosovo.
