Former Dynamo Kyiv midfielder and now a famous Ukrainian coach Serhiy Kovalets shared his expectations of the central match of the 19th round of the Ukrainian championship, in which Shakhtar Donetsk and Kryvyirogorsk Kryvbas will play tomorrow.
"Both rivals are at the top of the standings, so the weight of the meeting is increased many times.
So far, Shakhtar now clearly lack game and psychological stability, so it will be very difficult for the favourite in the upcoming duel.
In general, there are no passing matches in our league now. I expect from Shakhtar's game against Kryvbas interesting football and, of course, intrigue until the last seconds.
Matviyenko's disqualification? Of course, the defensive line is one of the main points in the team's game, but the whole team defends and attacks. Matviyenko is an experienced performer, and in such matches it is of great importance, but, in my opinion, Shakhtar have a sufficient choice of defenders to replace him.
"Kryvbas want to become champions, and that in itself motivates the players for every game. The club is developing, the team is led by an experienced coach... It is important that Kryvyi Rih play in the championship on their own pitch, even if without fans.
However, before this game, a significant factor will be that Yuriy Vernidub's charges do not burn out, as Shakhtar have more experience in games with high responsibility.
A win, of course, would be ideal for Kryvbas: to beat a rival in a face-to-face encounter is worth a lot. However, I think that a draw for Vernidub's team will be a good achievement.
I believe that there won't be as many goals scored as in the first round (Kryvbas vsShakhtar- 3:3 - editor's note), but this time, I think the game will end in a draw. The score? 1:1," Kovalets said.