Shakhtar open UPL season against Kudrivka at Arena Lviv

There is a different feel to Shakhtar Donetsk's start this time. Arda Turan had a full summer to work with his squad instead of squeezing preparation around European qualifiers, and that changes the picture. With the Champions League proper still too far away to map out - the eight opponents will not be known in advance - Shakhtar can put all energy into the domestic campaign, where the first two rounds look like a good moment to build momentum before stiffer tests arrive. Kudrivka is the first obstacle, and it arrives in Lviv with memories of a difficult survival mission. New to the top flight last season, it stayed up only at the last moment, needing a penalty shootout against Ahrobiznes Volochysk to do it. The team had one of the league's top scorers in Andriy Storchous, who has since moved to Oleksandriya, and the club did not hesitate to part with Vasyl Baranov in the middle of the campaign before Oleksandr Protchenko guided the team to safety. The fundamental problems have not disappeared, starting with the lack of home games for obvious reasons. There has also been perhaps the biggest squad turnover of any UPL club: Oleksandr Kozak, Yevhen Morozko, Artem Lehostayev and Artem Macheliuk are gone, while Dmytro Semenov, Kostiantyn Bychek, Serhiy Sten, Ivan Petriak, Yevhen Pasich and Rodion Plaksa have arrived. Kyrylo Siheiev and Oleksandr Yushchenko joined on loan from Shakhtar, but they are not the focus of this fixture. Shakhtar's summer was busier, but with a different purpose. Turan has essentially built two competitive squads. The club brought in Brazilian wingers Rayan Roberto and Bruninho for €20 million, and also added Gleiker Mendoza and Oleksandr Karavayev. Dmytro Riznyk is another story: he missed every friendly at the summer camp through injury and still needs to get back to full sharpness. Probable lineups: Shakhtar: Tvardovskyi - Vinicius, Bondar, Matviienko, Pedrinho Azevedo - Pedrinho da Silva, Nazaryna, Marlon Gomes - Alisson, Elias, Neverton. Kudrivka: Yashkov - Yevhen Pasich, Vekliak, Potimkov, Melnychuk - Smyrnyi, Dumanyuk - Sten, Plaksa, Bieliaiev - Owusu. A few numbers worth knowing: Kudrivka needs two more conceded goals to reach 50 in the UPL. Shakhtar has not drawn in eight straight league matches, with seven wins and one loss. Kudrivka has not won away in six UPL games, managing two draws and four defeats. Shakhtar could register a 500th league clean sheet. Kudrivka could play its 10th goalless UPL match. Protchenko's side has yet to draw a league game under him, with two wins and two losses. Dmytro Kryskiv could make his 100th UPL appearance, while Marian Shved could score his 30th league goal. Prediction: 3-0.