Vladyslav Lupashko's men will host "Polissya" in a highly anticipated opening match of the 2025/26 Ukrainian Premier League season. The "Karpaty" Lviv coach is preparing his squad for what promises to be one of the most intriguing fixtures of the first round, scheduled for Sunday, August 3rd at 18:00 at the Ukraine Stadium in Lviv.
"Polissya" enters this match under very different circumstances from their last meeting. The Zhytomyr club has recently changed leadership, with Ruslan Rotan now at the helm, replacing Imad Ashur who guided them to fourth place last season. That previous encounter ended in a 1:1 draw, which helped "Polissya" secure their European qualification spot.
The visitors might face serious fatigue issues. Just days ago, Rotan's team advanced in UEFA Conference League qualifying by defeating Andorran side Santa Coloma. The tight schedule forced them to fly across Europe back to Ukraine before making the long bus journey to Lviv – hardly ideal preparation for a season opener.
"Karpaty" had a quieter summer but made strategic changes, particularly in goal. Following Yakiv Kinareikin's transfer to Villarreal, the Lviv club signed two new goalkeepers – Andriy Klishchuk from Kryvbas and Roman Mysak from Kolos. They've also strengthened with Yaroslav Karabin from Rukh and Brazilian Paulo Vitor from Portimonense.
Despite "Polissya's" European success, bookmakers favor the home side with odds of 2.31 compared to 3.30 for an away win. A draw is priced at 3.25.
The Lions enter this match on an impressive scoring streak, having found the net in nine consecutive games (19 goals total). They're also chasing their 10th home win in the UPL. Meanwhile, "Polissya" remains unbeaten in their last five matches with three wins and two draws.
This fixture has historically been competitive, with the teams meeting 13 times previously. "Polissya" holds a slight edge with six victories to "Karpaty's" five, plus two draws. The goal difference stands at 14:17.
For Rotan, this represents his 40th away match as a UPL coach – but can his travel-weary squad overcome a fresh "Karpaty" side eager to make their mark on the new season?
