Patrik van Leuven will face his former club for the second consecutive week when "Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih" travels to face "Zorya Luhansk" in the third round of the 2025/26 Ukrainian Premier League. The Monday showdown at Kyiv's Dynamo Stadium marks another reunion for the Dutch specialist who previously managed Zorya before his stint at "Shakhtar Donetsk."
"Returning to face former clubs always brings special emotions, but we're focused on continuing our momentum after last week's victory," – the Kryvbas manager might be thinking ahead of this encounter.
Just a week ago, van Leuven's "Kryvbas" confidently defeated another of his former teams, "Metalist 1925 Kharkiv." Now, the Dutch coach faces a "Zorya" side that's currently undefeated in their last three matches, with two wins and a draw.
Meanwhile, Viktor Skrypnyk, who returned to the helm at "Zorya" after a previously successful tenure with the club, has guided his team to a decent start this season. After a goalless draw against "LNZ Cherkasy" in their opener, they secured a 2-1 victory over "Kudrivka."
Interestingly, both managers have emotional connections to Zorya. For Skrypnyk, it's a return to familiar territory, while van Leuven's successful spell with the Luhansk club actually earned him his move to "Shakhtar" – though his time with the Donetsk giants is something he'd probably rather forget.
"Kryvbas" has transformed significantly during the off-season, adopting an international approach with numerous foreign players. Their current form is mixed – following a sluggish 1-2 defeat to "Kolos Kovalivka" with a confident win over "Metalist 1925."
According to bookmakers, Skrypnyk's men enter as slight favorites at 2.69, while "Kryvbas" sits at 2.80, with a draw priced at 3.20.
For stat enthusiasts, "Kryvbas" could concede their 290th match in the UPL and are just two goals away from scoring 300 away goals in the championship. The Kryvyi Rih side also hasn't won an away match in five consecutive games (three draws, two losses).
The historical head-to-head record strongly favors "Zorya" with 19 wins compared to "Kryvbas'" 10, with five draws from their 34 previous encounters. The goal difference stands at 56-32 in Zorya's favor.
Will van Leuven finally break his team's away game drought against his former club? Or will Skrypnyk's unbeaten run continue? Monday's clash promises to deliver answers.
