Game Day. "Kharkiv" - "Shakhtar"

August 16, 2026. Kyiv region, "Arena Left Bank". Matchday 3 of the UPL. The match starts at 15:30

Referee - Oleksandr Shandor (Lviv).

Referee Assistants - Roman Yermolenko (Chernihiv) and Denys Marchenko (Chernihiv).

Fourth Official - Oleksandr Solovyan (Kyiv region).

VAR Referee - Viktor Kopiyevsky (Kropyvnytskyi).

VAR Assistant - Oleksandr Berkut (Sumy).

VAR Observer - Semen Shlonchak (Cherkasy)

UAF Arbitration Observer - Viktor Derdo (Chornomorsk).

Live broadcast of the match on the TV channel UPL.TV

Preview: “Kharkiv” approaches the match after an away defeat to “Polissya” with a score of 1:3. At the start of the season, Mladen Bartulovich's team secured one victory - over “Veres” - 1:0, so after two rounds, they have 3 points and a goal difference of 2:3. Due to an injury, Volodymyr Salyuk may not play for “Kharkiv”.

“Shakhtar” has 6 points after two rounds and tops the standings on additional indicators. “Miners” confidently started the championship: in the first round, they defeated “Kudrivka” - 5:1, and in the second, they won away against “Epicenter” - 2:0. Thus, Arda Turan's team has a goal difference of 7:1. However, the Donetsk team's squad situation has changed: after the match with “Epicenter,” Pedrinho got injured, while Dmytro Kryskiv has returned to training after an injury.

The history of matches between "Kharkiv" and "Shakhtar" includes 7 games. In these confrontations, “Miners” celebrated victory 5 times, and 2 matches ended in a draw. The teams last met in March 2026, when Donetsk won 1:0.

UPL, Matchday 3

Friday, April 14:

18:00 "Epicenter" - "Veres" - 0:0.

Saturday, April 15:

13:00 "Kryvbas" - "Left Bank" - 1:1;

15:30 "Kudrivka" - "Obolon" - 0:0;

18:00 "Karpaty" - "Bukovyna" - 3:0.

Sunday, April 16:

13:00 "LNZ" - "Chornomorets";

15:30 "Kharkiv" - "Shakhtar";

18:00 "Dynamo" - “Kolos".

Monday, April 17:

18:00 "Polissya" - "Zorya".

"Shakhtar" (Donetsk). Profile

Year of establishment - 1936.

Club colors - orange and black.

Home stadium - "Arena Lviv" (capacity 34,915 spectators).

President – Rinat Akhmetov.

Head coach – Arda Turan

Official website - https://shakhtar.com/

History: "Shakhtar" is one of the most titled clubs in Ukraine, founded in 1936 under the name "Stakhanovets", later renamed. During the Soviet era, the team was not considered a grand, but had certain achievements. However, in independent Ukraine, the team became the main rival of Kyiv's "Dynamo" and the flagship of Ukrainian football. The "Miners" have been champions multiple times and won the Ukrainian Cup, with their greatest international achievement being the UEFA Cup triumph in 2009.

Achievements: Winner of the Soviet Cup - 1961, 1962, 1980, and 1983.

Winner of the Soviet Super Cup - 1984.

Champion of the First League of the Soviet Union - 1954.

Ukrainian Champion - 2001-2002, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2007-2008, 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024, 2025-2026.

Winner of the Ukrainian Cup - 1994-1995, 1996-1997, 2000-2001, 2001-2002, 2003-2004, 2007-2008, 2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025

Winner of the Ukrainian Super Cup - 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2021

Winner of the UEFA Cup - 2009.

Geography: Currently, "Shakhtar" plays home matches in the championship and Cup at "Arena Lviv". After 2014, the "Miners" had to host opponents in Kharkiv, Lviv, and Kyiv, which allowed them to expand their already numerous fan base. However, in European competitions, "Shakhtar" is currently based in Krakow, Poland, where they play their nominal home matches.

Head coach: Before the start of the 2025/26 season, "Shakhtar" was led by the former well-known Turkish footballer and current coach - Arda Turan. The Turk not only played for "Galatasaray", "Manisaspor", and "Istanbul" in his homeland but also left a significant mark in La Liga, where he played for "Barcelona" and "Atletico". Turan played 100 matches for the Turkish national team, scored 16 goals, and together with the team won bronze at EURO 2008. Arda started his coaching career at "Eyupspor", lifting the team from the third division to the Super League. In his first season with “Shakhtar,” Turan became the country's champion.

Transfer Market: According to the portal's assessment, the total value of the current "Shakhtar" squad is 184 million 125 thousand euros. The average age is 24.2 years, and 21 players are foreigners. The most expensive player of the "Miners" is currently the Brazilian forward Kauan Elias, whose transfer value is estimated at 15 million euros.

This transfer window, “Shakhtar” added two wingers from Brazil to the team: Ryan Roberto and Bruninho. The team also worked on the domestic market, acquiring the Venezuelan Mendosa from “Kryvbas” and sensationally inviting the experienced Karavayev, who recently played for the main competitor - “Dynamo”.

As for significant losses, the departure of defender Konopli to “Borussia” can be noted. It is worth mentioning that a group of young players: Farin, Glushchenko, Sigeiev, Ogarkov, and Udod were sent out on loan.