Kharkiv - Obolon. Forecast and preview of the Ukrainian Championship match

On Saturday, September 5, as part of the fifth round of the Ukrainian Premier League, "Kharkiv" will play against "Obolon" from Kyiv. The match will start at 13:00 at the "Arena Levyy Bereg".

Kharkiv.

"Kharkiv" approaches the match with six points after four rounds of the Ukrainian championship. The team has won two matches and suffered two defeats - against "Polissya" and "Shakhtar".

Lately, Kharkiv residents have been in good form. In the previous round, the team confidently defeated "Zorya" from Luhansk - 3:0, and a week earlier, they staged a real rout in the Ukrainian Cup, scoring nine goals unanswered against the amateur team "Kalynivka".

Before the match with "Obolon", "Kharkiv" looks like a clear favorite. Mladen Bartulovich's players try to act aggressively, actively load the attacking line, and often use a scheme with two forwards.

However, it has not been without personnel problems. Nicholas Arevalo and Oleksandr Yatsyk will miss the match.

Obolon.

The start of the season for "Obolon" is much more difficult. After four rounds, Kyivans have only three points.

In the first match of the championship, the "brewers" suffered a heavy defeat to "Epicenter" - 0:3, after which they had an unusual series of three consecutive goalless draws - against "Kolos", "Kudrivka", and "Bukovyna".

Thus, "Obolon" has not conceded in three matches in a row, and defense remains the team's main strength. Kyivans act organized without the ball, tightly cover the free zones, and in recent rounds, they practically do not allow opponents to threaten their goal.

A completely different picture is observed in the attack. "Obolon" remains the only team in the championship that has not scored a single goal yet. The coaching staff tries to find new options upfront - in one of the matches, Lyakh appeared in the starting lineup instead of Ustymenko, but it did not bring noticeable results.

Kyivans create few chances, feel a serious lack of creativity, and rarely turn their attacks into truly dangerous moments. While the defense currently allows the team to gain points, there are much more problems ahead for the "brewers".

In the upcoming match, Barantsov is injured, and the participation of Chekh and Medinsky remains questionable.

Personal encounters history.

The teams have played 14 matches against each other. "Obolon" has a slight advantage in the number of victories: Kyivans have won six matches, five victories are on Kharkiv's account, and three matches ended in a draw.

Moreover, the recent face-to-face meetings have been in favor of Kharkiv. Last season, the opponents met three times - twice in the Ukrainian championship and once in the country's Cup.

In the Cup, "Kharkiv" won with a score of 2:0. In the championship, one match ended in a goalless draw, and in the other, Kharkiv residents proved to be stronger - 3:1. Thus, in the last three matches against "Obolon", "Kharkiv" did not lose and achieved two victories.

Match forecast.

Three matches in a row without conceding a goal - undoubtedly, a serious argument in favor of "Obolon". Kyivans have shown that they can endure, disrupt the opponent's attacks, and cling to the result even when almost nothing works upfront.

However, it is necessary to consider the level of the teams against which this dry streak was achieved. "Kolos", "Kudrivka", and "Bukovyna" are one thing, and the current "Kharkiv" looks like an opponent from a completely different weight category.

Bartulovich's team plays much more aggressively, uses two forwards, and has many more options upfront. After the 9:0 victory in the Cup and the 3:0 win over "Zorya", Kharkiv residents approach the match in excellent spirits and will surely try to take the initiative from the first minutes.

There is a feeling that this match will put an end to "Obolon's" dry streak. The defense of Kyivans is capable of causing problems for the favorite, but it will be extremely difficult to withstand the pressure throughout the match, especially considering the almost complete lack of threat from the "brewers" in attack.

A major upset is not expected here. "Kharkiv" looks stronger and should confirm its favorite status by securing a fairly confident victory based on class.

Possible line-ups.

"Kharkiv": Yermakov, Krupsky, Shabanov, Salyuk, Smolyakov, Gadzhiev, Pavlyuk, Kalyuzhny, Zabergdja, Parako, Itodo.

"Obolon": Fedorivsky, Polehenko, Yermakov, Prokopchuk, Kapinus, Myshnov, Chekh, Slobodyan, Sukhanov, Lyakh, Shuliansky.