Game Day. "Veres" - "Metalist 1925"
May 24, 2026. Rivne, "Avangard". 30th round of UPL. The game starts at 13:00
Referee - Andriy Kovalenko (Poltava)
Assistant referees - Volodymyr Vysotskyi (Zaporizhzhia) and Denys Marchenko (Chernihiv)
Fourth official - Sofia Prychyna (Lviv region)
VAR referee - Volodymyr Novokhatniy (Cherkasy)
VAR assistant - Svitlana Hrushko (Kyiv region)
VAR observer - Yuriy Suryak (Lviv)
UAF arbitration observer - Yevhen Aranovskyi (Khmelnytskyi)
UAF Delegate: Volodymyr Aleksandrenko (Vinnytsia)
Live broadcast of the match on UPL.TV channel.
Preview: "Metalist 1925" still cannot win in the last 5 UPL matches. Interestingly, in the last 3 games, Mladen Bartulovich's team took the lead first but lost the advantage by the end of the match. Currently, "Metalist 1925" has 48 points (goal difference: 35-19) and occupies the 7th position. However, with a victory or even a draw against "Veres," the Kharkiv team will finish fifth, as direct competitors: "Kolos" and "Kryvbas" have already played their matches.
"Veres," like "Metalist 1925," is on a poor streak of 5 winless matches. Oleg Shandruk's team has not won since April 20, when they last took three points by defeating "Oleksandriya." Since then, the Rivne team has suffered 3 losses and 2 draws. The team has 31 points (goal difference: 26-39) and has already secured itself from relegation playoffs. Even in case of a loss in the last round, Rivne will be guaranteed to finish above either "Obolon" or "Kudrivka."
Throughout the history of clashes between "Metalist 1925" and "Veres," they have played 9 matches: 6 in UPL, 2 in the First League, and 1 in the Cup. The opponent won 6 times, "Metalist 1925" won 2 times, and the teams drew once (goal difference: 13-18).
UPL, 30th round
Thursday, May 21
15:30 "Shakhtar" - "Kolos" - 0:1
Saturday, May 23
13:00 "Oleksandriya" - "Kryvbas" - 1:1
15:30 "Epitsentr" - "Poltava" - 0:0
18:00 "Karpaty" - "Zorya" - 1:2
Sunday, May 24
13:00 "Obolon" - "LNZ"
13:00 "Polissya" - "Rukh"
13:00 "Veres" - "Metalist 1925"
13:00 "Dynamo" - "Kudrivka"
Club Profile — FC "Veres" (Rivne)
Year Founded: 1957 (in current format — 2015)
Club Colors: red and black
Home Stadium: “Avangard”, Rivne; capacity — around 14,500 spectators
President: Ivan Nadiyin
Head Coach: Oleg Shandruk
Official Website: nkveres.com
Historical Background: The People's Club "Veres" Rivne has a history closely intertwined with the development of Rivne football. Founded in 1957, it has gone through various stages — from competing in the USSR championship to participating in Ukrainian professional leagues. Over the decades, "Veres" has experienced ups and downs, multiple reorganizations, financial crises, and even forced suspensions of activities.
However, the main driving force of the club has always been the fans who have preserved its spirit and traditions.A turning point came in 2015 when "Veres" experienced a revival, receiving a new impetus for development as a people's club. The management model based on openness and fan participation quickly yielded results: the team regained its professional status, moved from the amateur championship to the Premier League, and once again made a name for itself at the national level. Today, "Veres" is a symbol of resilience and dedication to its city, a club that continues to build its own history together with the people of Rivne, staying true to its roots and striving for new football heights.
Achievements: Ukrainian Amateur Champion (2015/2016) - a crucial step in the club's return to the professional level.
Promotion to the Second League (2016) - the restored "Veres" confidently entered professional football.
Promotion to the First League (2016/2017) - the team's rapid progress allowed it to move up a level in one season.
Bronze medalist of the First League (2016/2017) - a result that paved the way to the UPL.
Promotion to the Ukrainian Premier League (2017) - the historic return of the club to the elite division of Ukrainian football.
Regaining professional status and return to the UPL (2021) - after reorganization and several seasons in lower divisions, the team once again earned the right to compete among the strongest.
Geography: The support base of FC "Veres" is closely tied to Rivne and the entire Rivne region, where the club has its strongest fan base and long-standing traditions. It is here that the core of fans is formed, which has gone through stages of decline, revival, and return to elite football with the team. Thanks to the status of a "people's club" and a transparent model of interaction with fans, the support for "Veres" gradually expands beyond the region.
Head Coach: 42-year-old Oleg Shandruk - a former Ukrainian footballer who played as a defender. He began his professional career at the club "Volyn" (Lutsk), making his debut in the 2000/01 season. He later played for clubs such as "Shakhtar-2" / "Shakhtar-3" (Donetsk), "Arsenal" (Kyiv), "Chornomorets" (Odesa), again Volyn, and "Sevastopol." After finishing his professional career, he played for amateur clubs for some time.
Coaching Career: After retiring from playing, Oleg Shandruk transitioned to coaching. From 2015 to 2018, he coached "ODEK." In 2018, he joined the coaching staff of "Veres" - initially as an assistant, then as an interim head coach, and from September 20 of the same year, he became the head coach. After a short break in coaching, he returned to "Veres" first as the coach of the youth team (U-19), and from 2023, he again took over the first team.
Transfermarkt: According to Transfermarkt, the squad value of "Veres" is 8 million 150 thousand euros. The most expensive player is Slovenian defender Kai Cipot (700 thousand euros), while among Ukrainian players, Maxim Smiyan and Vitaliy Boyko have the highest values - 600 thousand euros each.
The team includes players from Brazil, Moldova, Slovenia, Greece, Portugal, and Namibia.
