Yuriy Virt: "Polissya is not Veres, but things are not so bad in Dynamo either"

Already today, August 8, the second round of the Ukrainian Premier League starts. The first game of the UPL season will be played by Kyiv's Dynamo, Polissya will measure its strength against FC Kharkiv, and Karpaty will play at home against LNZ from Cherkasy.

Famous Ukrainian coach Yuriy Virt exclusively shared his expectations for the upcoming matches of the championship with Sport.ua. The specialist is looking forward to the match between Epicenter and Shakhtar, the duel between Polissya and Kharkiv, and the meeting of Karpaty with LNZ.

– Livyi Bereh - Kudrivka. In my opinion, the match features two quite evenly matched teams. Do you see a favorite here? What, in your opinion, will be the key in this confrontation?

– I agree. I would give a slight advantage to the Livyi Bereh team because they have an experienced coach (Oleksandr Riabokon, - ed.). One could say that this match is a duel of experience and youth on the coaching benches of the teams, as Kudrivka is currently coached by a young specialist (Oleksandr Protsenko, - ed.). Plus, the home field factor is on the side of Livyi Bereh. Therefore, I would give them the edge.

For Livyi Bereh, this is a return to the UPL. Kudrivka, on the other hand, was defeated by Shakhtar in the first round. I can say that I saw many individual mistakes from Kudrivka players in that match, which led to their defeat. Although at times this team looked quite good - they were bold. I think Kudrivka will act even bolder against Livyi Bereh. I can predict that both teams will score in this match, but Livyi Bereh will win - 2:1.

– Bukovyna - Obolon. In the previous round, both teams somewhat surprised: Serhii Shyshchenko's wards managed to take points from LNZ, while the brewers "failed" against Epicenter. Can Alexander Antonenko's team rehabilitate in this match?

– Obolon has everything to rehabilitate for the defeat against Epicenter (0:3). I believe that the score in that match does not reflect what was happening on the football field. The "brewers" looked very good until they conceded a goal due to a dubious penalty. After that penalty, Antonenko's team "fell apart." Although I believe it was an even game - the Epicenter players scored first and won.

I think in the match against Bukovyna, Alexander Antonenko's boys can count on a positive result against Bukovyna, which had a tough match against LNZ from Cherkasy. The Bukovyna players spent a lot of energy in the match against the Cherkasy team - they had almost no chances, although in the First League of Ukraine, the team is used to dominating, but here - the UPL.

In the match against Obolon, Serhii Shyshchenko's wards will play with the number one - attacking with great force, as they did in the First League of Ukraine, while Obolon will play with faster attacks. It will be a battle of characters. I think character will come to the fore here. I bet on a draw. I do not exclude that this game may end with a score of 0:0.

– Zorya - Kryvbas. Viktor Skrypnyk's wards started the championship with a confident victory. Can the Luhansk club achieve a second consecutive victory in the match against the spirited Kryvbas?

– Zorya has a 2-0 victory over the strong Kolos, but the expulsion of Ruslan Kostyshyn played a role in that match. Zorya created quite a few scoring chances - they could have scored more, but they still have problems in defense. The expulsion played a key role in the match against Kolos.

I think in the match against Kryvbas, Skrypnyk's wards will be maximally tuned, attacking from the first minutes. Patrick van Leeuwen will be building a new Kryvbas around rounds 5-6, with many new players who need to understand what the UPL is. It takes time, although I liked this team in the match against Karpaty - the team looked good for 60 minutes, then "fell apart," and the "lions" found space. There are questions for Kryvbas regarding the defensive line. They conceded a lot in the previous championship - and now. I think the coach will pay a lot of attention to the defensive game. I don't think this season the team will score as much - Kryvbas lost a lot in the attacking line. It will be very difficult to replace them now.

In the Zorya - Kryvbas match, class and experience will play their role. Therefore, I give preference to the more experienced team of Viktor Skrypnyk - Zorya, I think, will be able to achieve a comfortable victory with a score of 2:0.

– Epicenter - Shakhtar. Nagorniak's wards crushed Obolon in the first round, while Shakhtar defeated Kudrivka. This match can be expected to have a large number of goals scored. Can Epicenter fight against the "miners"?

– I think Nagorniak's wards can really challenge Shakhtar - they finally returned home, and there will be maximum support in this match. It will be interesting to see how Epicenter plays in this match. I immediately recall the matches in the previous championship: Nagorniak's wards played the first game in a "closed football" style and only lost at the end, and in the second match of the previous championship - they played openly and suffered a crushing defeat. So, it will be interesting to see how they play this time. I think the Epicenter players will be bold - it's a home game where the fans will drive the players forward.

Shakhtar has problems in defense, especially after set pieces. I think Serhii Nagorniak will devote a lot of time to this aspect: how to act correctly on set pieces to hit the "miners'" goal. But... Shakhtar is Shakhtar, indeed. If Turan's team plays aggressively and fast - they are unmatched. They are a top team with a good selection of performers. It's very difficult to play against them. This was perfectly demonstrated in the second half against Kudrivka when Turan's team turned on the speed and aggression - they immediately crushed Kudrivka.

I think if Shakhtar turns on their speed from the first minutes of the match against Epicenter and is maximally tuned - it will be difficult for Nagorniak's boys, but I am sure that we will see many goals in this match. Shakhtar's class, skill, and experience will play a key role. I give a slight advantage to the "miners." Score: 3:1 in favor of Turan's team.

– Veres - Dynamo. It seems that the Rivne "wolves" have not yet found their game, but.... Can fans expect a sensation considering that the "wolves" are playing at home against the tired Dynamo from European competitions?

– Dynamo's victory over Qarabag will certainly boost the confidence of the Kyiv team. Igor Kostyuk's wards are under incredible pressure. I disagree with many - not everything is so bad in Dynamo. The team really lost to PAOK, but they are a good European team - not everything was as hopeless in the match against them as many experts think. I said that Dynamo would beat Qarabag - and I was right.

There will be a significant rotation in the match against Veres. Many new players will appear who have hardly played in European competitions this season. I think Andriy Yarmolenko will take the field, needing to break a record. The Dynamo players understand perfectly well that the game against Veres is very important. They have to prove to the fans that the game will improve.

I am confident that the "blue and white" will want to start the championship with a victory!

Veres at home, where there will be great support from fans, will be able to launch quick attacks, rather than just defend, as it was with FC Kharkiv. I think Shandruk's team will be looking for chances in attack. Will they be able to do it? The game will show. I think Dynamo players are a more classy and experienced team. They will be able to defeat Veres, but the "wolves" will please the fans with a goal. I predict a score of 2:1 in favor of Kyiv. Dynamo players will want to prove that they will play for the fans and for the emblem.

– Polissya - Kharkiv. Perhaps it can be said that this match is the central match of the second round of the UPL. Do you agree? Do you see a favorite here and what do you expect from the game?

– Yes, I agree. On Monday, there are two good games, but the Polissya - Kharkiv match is the central match of the round. I will give a slight advantage to the Polissya players - they have played more matches. I think Rotan's team has maximum tasks. We heard this in the dressing room after Copenhagen. The president made it clear: we need to fight for titles in Ukraine. I think FC Kharkiv is one of Polissya's competitors. The "wolves" will definitely want to win. They have everything: player selection, squad depth, financial aspects... The matches against Copenhagen showed that there are problems in defense! 5 goals conceded in the Conference League matches - there are indeed problems. And here comes Kharkiv.

FC Kharkiv is a team that will create problems for the Rotan team. The focus here will be on converting goal-scoring opportunities. I think both teams will have enough goal-scoring opportunities. The one who can convert their chances better will win. Kharkiv looked very good in the first game. The team dominated for the full 90 minutes and created many goal-scoring opportunities, but Polissya is not Veres. Both teams like to play with the ball, but it will all come down to conversion. The winner will be the one who converts their chances better. I think both teams can score - 1:1, in my opinion.

– Karpaty - LNZ. Another match that could claim the status of the central match of the round. The Lions unexpectedly defeated Kryvbas, while LNZ dropped points against Bukovyna. Who is the favorite in this match for you and why?

- There is definitely no clear favorite here. For me, it was a surprise that Karpaty so confidently beat Kryvbas (4:1) - it was a tough victory. It will be interesting to see how LNZ will play in this match: 4-3-3 (like against Bukovyna) or 5-3-2. It will be interesting to see what decision Vitaliy Ponomariov will make. Karpaty are currently playing very brightly in attack, and the 5-3-2 formation in LNZ will allow them to strengthen the defense and play on quick transitions, as they did in the previous championship.

It will be interesting to see how these Karpaty will deal with this defense - whether they can break it at all. Home support will be a crucial factor. LNZ has one problem - they just can't score against opponents. They need to work a lot on positional attacks to score goals. I think LNZ will play on quick attacks. Karpaty are currently on an emotional upswing. I think only a victory for Karpaty will be considered a good result. Both teams will be set up for a win. I think this match will end in a draw - 1:1," said Virt.