At the "Central City Stadium" in Zhytomyr, "Polissya" and "Kharkiv" will meet as part of the second round of the UPL. Fans have high expectations for this match, but will the teams be able to please with bright and productive football?
The Zhytomyr team has already played three official matches this season: two defeats to "Copenhagen" in European competitions and a victory over "Chornomorets" in the championship. After the match against "Copenhagen," Ruslan Rotan made significant rotations. Haiduchyk, Emerllahu, Tomandzoto, Veleten, and Krasnichi, who did not play in the starting lineup against the Danish club, got a place in the starting lineup. The Zhytomyr team started poorly in Odessa, but then managed to press the opponent in a determined style - 2:1. There were many questions about "Polissya's" game, but the result was on the scoreboard. Much more was expected from the star newcomer Andrade, but in the first round of the UPL, he played well below his capabilities. This was Ruslan Rotan's 50th victory as a coach in the UPL.
I liked how the guys reacted to the goal. It motivated us even more. Of course, despite the fact that it was very hot today, we had to show character. I am very pleased that the guys showed it and still had an understanding of how to react to the fact that the game was not going in our favor. This is an important moment that we showed this character," noted Rotan.
The Zhytomyr club played with the usual basic tactical scheme 4-3-3 in Odessa, but not everything worked out for Rotan's wards. In the second round, we expect rotation from Rotan. Fedor, Nazarenko, and Babenko are expected to return to the starting lineup. There are also questions about Bushchan's game, but the coaching staff is unlikely to replace him.
Possible lineup: Bushchan - Krushynskyi, Chobotenko, Krasnichi, Mykhailichenko - Babenko, Fedor, Andriievskyi - Nazarenko, Krasnopyr, Andrade
The Kharkiv club had all the chances to lose points in the first round, but they managed to press "Veres" - 1:0. The hero of the match was Ramik Hadzhiev, who scored the winning goal in the last minute of regular time. Bartulovich's team had more than 20 attempts on goal, but made their fans nervous. The issue of "Kharkiv's" victory should have been resolved much earlier. The coaching staff trusted Yermakov, Yatsyk, Profini, Parako, who joined the team in the summer, from the first minutes. It is also worth noting the return of Artem Smoliakov to the UPL.
The first round is always difficult. We understood that it would be a tough game, as the guys were nervous. Veres prepared very well for the match and played. This match was very difficult for us, but I believe that we deservedly won. We pressed Veres, had chances to score earlier. We are very happy that the substitutes added tempo, and Ramik scored a goal. We are happy for him because this is a very important goal that will give him confidence in the future," noted Bartulovich.
Thus, the 60th coaching match for Bartulovich in the UPL was victorious. Kharkiv also won for the first time in three home matches in the UPL.
Possible lineup: Yermakov - Krupskyi, Pavliuk, Shabanov, Smoliakov - Kaliuzhnyi, Yatsyk, Profini - Kastylio, Parako, Rashytsia
Recent matches of the teams
"Polissya"
"Kharkiv"
Head-to-head meetings
The teams have already played six matches against each other: two wins for "Polissya" and four draws. The opponents last met at the beginning of May this year. Then Rotan's wards won at home - 1:0.
8
