Kryvbas started the championship among the leaders. But two defeats to Dynamo and Karpaty and a draw with newcomer Poltava quickly dropped Kryvbas to fifth place.
Matches against Veres are somewhat of a paradox: since the 21st century, these are the visitors' victories. Veres is currently in mid-table, but throughout the entire championship, the team has conceded more than a goal in a game only three times—losses to Shakhtar and Polissia, and a 3-2 win against Epicenter. But Kryvbas has high ambitions for this season. The team scores a fair amount and is quite capable of winning at home against Veres this time.

Dynamo's post-international team games have traditionally been tough for years, even after a significant reduction in their presence in the national team. As the match against LNZ demonstrated, a well-constructed defense by the opponent significantly reduces the White-Blues' attacking potential. Kolos isn't nearly as good defensively, but they can still create difficulties for Dynamo, which is usually disorganized after the international break.

What kind of scoring can we expect? Yes, the hosts have scored in their last three matches, but that was preceded by a four-game goalless streak. Kolos was unable to penetrate the defenses of much more modest opponents—LNZ, Rukh, Metalist 1925, and Veres. Therefore, we'll hazard a guess that the outcome of the match will be decided by a single goal from the Kyiv club.

Kharkiv had been gaining momentum quite nicely. They had wins and draws against Shakhtar and Dynamo, and the team was already among the leaders. But then Bartulovich's team sagged, dropping points unexpectedly against the villagers from Kudrivka, followed by losses to less-than-top opponents.
The international break should help Kharkiv regain its momentum. Metalist-1925's potential should clearly be at least in the top three. Karpaty have always been known for their ambitions. This will be a match between evenly matched opponents. It's unlikely anyone will be able to overpower them.

The next round of the Ukrainian Premier League will open with a match between Poltava and Cherkasy. The nominal visitors enter the duel as the clear favorites, and it's hard to argue with that assessment. However, there are some caveats.

Poltava hasn't won a UPL match since early August. Back then, the newcomer beat Veres, securing their first and, so far, last victory in the top division. Since then, the Citizens have played 10 matches, recording only three draws and conceding 28 goals.

After their victory over Dynamo, LNZ is not just a strong team, but the first team in recent years to secure six points against both giants of Ukrainian football. Meanwhile, four of Cherkasy's last five victories have resulted in the same scoreline—1-0. This applies regardless of the opponent—Dynamo or Rukh. A similar outcome seems likely in our match.