Shakhtar – Metalurg Z
27.07.2014 18:00 CET
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ROUND 1: Despite local hostilities, the Ukrainian Premier League will commence as always, and this year’s start will see the regular standings leader take on the visiting last-spot contender. More
ROUND 1: Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Metalurh Zaporizhya
This year will not be easy for Ukrainian football, and it is hard to foresee if the season will go smoothly – not for the players’ or clubs’ fault, but due to the constantly instable situation in the country, where hostilities on the Ukrainian and Russian border continue to grow.
However, the league is planned to start despite the ongoing conflict, and the two teams chosen to put on one of the first shows of the year are Shakhtar Donetsk, who have ledVischya Liga standings almost constantly since the early 2000’s, and Metalurh Zaporizhya, who were relegated a few seasons back only to return last year and be freed from a similar fate only by coincidence.
Shakhtar Donetsk
The Miners, as the Donetsk club is called, finished in first place last season (which they have achieved consecutively since the 2009/10 season, and with only two second-place finishes since 2004), and have qualified to play in Champions League’s group stage. They are not worried about their national league games so much as they are about putting on a worthy show on European pitches – and do not view their upcoming opponent as a challenge.
Apart from worrying about their Champions League performance, the squad is facing other struggles – Donetsk is located not far out of the Ukrainian conflict zone, and even this week saw fighting in the city itself.
This causes even more problems for the club. With some of the team’s players fearing for their safety, five Brazilians and one Argentinian have gone AWOL and refused to return to the conflict-ridden country after their friendly match versus Lyon on Saturday. Despite local hostilities, the club’s president has warned the players that they will „suffer” if they do not return to the club.
Metalurh Zaporizhya
The squad has not fared over the years. Finishing last year in last place and saved from relegation only by the fact that a number of clubs from the lower league refused advancement, they managed only one win and eight draws among their 30 matches.
With a goal balance of -52, twenty-five lower than the next team up, they do not seem like an opponent that the Donetsk squad will not crush. However, with their opponents struggling to keep their own squad in place, the Cossacks could use the unfortunate hostile zone circumstances to their benefit – if they do not become put in immediate danger themselves.
Summary
The squads’ head to head history does not look favorable for the team from the Zaporizhia Oblast. Of all their matches in this decade, there were only two draws – and the other seven matches went to Shakhtar. However, the Donetsk squad has not won by more than three goals.
No one expects them to win, but can the Cossacks can manage to keep themselves from a high loss that would put them once more at a goal balance disadvantage? And will Shakhtar show up on their own pitch in full force, or with 6 players still AWOL?
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