Chornomorets vs Polissya: Season Opener in Odesa - Preview

The 2026/27 Ukrainian Premier League season opens in Odesa on Sunday, August 2, at 13:00, as Chornomorets host Polissya Zhytomyr in the first round. Andriy Kovalenko of Poltava will referee, with coverage on UPL.TV. For Chornomorets, this is more than just another fixture. The club is back in the top flight, and so is coach Roman Hryhorchuk, who returns to the league with the Sailors. The welcome, though, is a tough one: Polissya arrive with bigger resources and serious ambitions. Polissya have already had a taste of competitive action. Ruslan Rotan's side drew 3-3 with Copenhagen in the first leg of their Conference League qualifier, then lost the return leg 1-2 to bow out. The exit was not a shock, but the performance earned credit. Now the Wolves can focus fully on domestic duty, where the club's stated target is trophies in both the league and cup. Chornomorets, meanwhile, look ready to battle for every point. After winning promotion, the club invested in new signings, including Serhiy Korniychuk from Polissya and Danyil Alefirenko from Kolos, for a combined fee of nearly €500,000. That does not put them on Polissya's financial level, but it shows intent. A few numbers stand out ahead of kickoff. Chornomorets are winless in four straight UPL matches, while Polissya have taken just one point from their last two league games. Hryhorchuk is two goals away from 100 home UPL goals with Chornomorets; Rotan could claim his 50th win as a top-flight coach. Hryhorchuk could also lose his 90th match as a UPL coach. On the personal milestones front, Oleksandr Nazarenko can score his 25th league goal, Ihor Krasnopir his 20th, and Maksym Braharu and Vladyslav Veletin their 10th - all for Polissya. Polissya could also keep their 20th UPL clean sheet, with 10 of those coming on the road. Prediction: 0-2.