Epitsentr host Shakhtar with home comfort and rotation questions in the air

Epitsentr welcome Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday in the second round of the Ukrainian Premier League, with the home side eager to build on their perfect start at a renovated stadium they have waited a long time to enjoy. The match kicks off at 15:30 at the H. Tonkocheyev Stadium in Kamianets-Podilskyi, with Roman Blavatskyi from Lviv in charge and live coverage on UPL.tv. Serhiy Nahornyak's players made the most of home comforts in round one, beating Obolon Kyiv 3:0. Now they will stay at this venue for the next league game too, and one more after that. Given how much Epitsentr have struggled away from home, staying local could be a genuine advantage. Twelve months ago, these teams met on Epitsentr's UPL debut, but the match was staged in Ternopil at the Roman Shukhevych Stadium. The atmosphere was intense, and Shakhtar, dealing with European commitments, were pushed deep. Epitsentr never really settled in Ternopil, though, and after the winter break they did not return. Shakhtar arrive with a different kind of momentum. Arda Turan's side have Champions League games ahead, and before the international break they still face Kharkiv, Polissia, Karpaty, Chornomorets and LNZ. That makes this month a defining one for the Donetsk club domestically. Their season opened with a 5:1 thrashing of Kudrivka. The first half was awkward, but after the break Shakhtar took control and Kawan Elias completed a hat-trick. Elias is also the player whose goal decided last season's first-round clash with Epitsentr. Turan may use this fixture to test his squad depth. Shakhtar need to know who can carry them through the league and cup schedule and who should be managed carefully for an autumn that will shape the whole project. Probable lineups: Epitsentr - Fedotov, Kyryukhyantsev, Repai, Kosh, Klymets, K. U. Rojas, Seberio, Tavares, Sifuentes, Myroniuk, Sidun. Shakhtar - Riznyk, Karavaev, Bondar, Matviienko, Pedrinho Azevedo, Pedrinho da Silva, Nazaryna, Bondarenko, Alisson, Elias, Prosper. Useful context: Epitsentr can claim a 10th win in the UPL. They are unbeaten in eight consecutive league games overall, with two wins and six draws, and have the same eight-game unbeaten run at home, with five wins and three draws. Shakhtar are 23 league games without defeat - 15 wins and eight draws - and can register a 500th clean sheet in the championship. Dmytro Kryskiv is closing in on 100 UPL appearances, while Marian Shved needs one more goal for 30 in the league and Kawan Elias needs one for 10. Prediction: 1:2.