The Ukrainian Premier League is ready for the start of the new season. On August 3, the elite division will return to screens, offering viewers two fundamentally important matches. At the center of attention is the triumphant return of Chernivtsi's "Bukovyna" to the top division after 30 years and the start of the title defense by Donetsk's "Shakhtar".
Historic match for Chernivtsi
For "Bukovyna", the upcoming game will be the first in the elite since the 1993/94 season. The team, led by Serhiy Shyshchenko, returned to the Premier League after a triumph in the First League. However, the home match will not take place in native Chernivtsi: due to stadium reconstruction, the team temporarily hosts opponents in Lviv.
During the off-season, the Chernivtsi team strengthened significantly, signing a number of experienced newcomers. Their first serious test will be a match with Chernihiv's LNZ — the vice-champion of the last season. The Chernihiv club approaches the match after being eliminated from the Conference League qualification, where they were stopped by Belgian "Gent".
The LNZ squad has remained practically unchanged, preserving the core of last year's team. The history of head-to-head encounters favors "Bukovyna": it was the Chernivtsi team that knocked LNZ out of the last Ukrainian Cup tournament.
Shakhtar: Title defense and new stars
The reigning Ukrainian champion starts the new season with ambitious plans. In the summer, the "miners" conducted an active transfer campaign, investing €25 million in strengthening the squad. Brazilians Bruninho and Ryan Roberto, as well as Gleicer Mendoza and Alexander Karavaev, have arrived at the club.
The main goal of the Donetsk club is successful performances in the Champions League, so in the first rounds of the championship, one can expect squad rotation and high game intensity. Shakhtar's opponent will be "Kudrivka", which underwent a massive personnel restructuring in the summer, losing several key players.
Interestingly, the newcomers of "Kudrivka" loaned from the Donetsk club — Nikolai Ogarkov, Kirill Sigeev, and Alexander Yushchenko — will not be able to play against "Shakhtar". The history of encounters is entirely on the side of the champions: in two matches, the Donetsk players won twice with a total score of 7:1.
Where to watch the matches
All matches of the new round will be available for viewing on the UPL.TV platform. The broadcast can be seen on most OTT services: MEGOGO, Kyivstar TV, Volia TV, Setanta Sports, SWEET.TV, Vodafone TV, Youtv, and OmegaTV. The matches will also be rebroadcast by satellite operator VIASAT and a number of cable providers.
