Perfect Shakhtar riding high

By Igor Linnyk

FC Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Dynamo Kyiv have been in a league of their own during September, with neither side losing in the Ukraine Premier Division.

Perfect Shakhtar
Shakhtar have yet to drop a point and still hold a five-point lead over Dynamo, despite the Kiev side winning all ten matches in all competitions under new coach Joszef Szabo. Dynamo suffered a difficult start to the season, but they are now confidently matching their title rivals.

Dynamo success
That success is not confined to the domestic front, Dynamo are also flying high in the UEFA Champions League following victories over AS Roma and Bayer 04 Leverkusen. FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk have impressed too, reaching the inaugural group stage of the UEFA Cup.

Metalurh challenge
Shakhtar, by contrast, lost their opening two Champions League fixtures, but at home no one can touch them. Twenty-seven points from nine games speaks for itself, and rivals FC Metalurh Donetsk are already eight points off the pace in third, despite a strong start themselves.

Tall order
After losing to S.S. Lazio in the UEFA Cup, Metalurh have refocused on the league and a top-three finish. But breaking into the top two remains a tall order as Metalurh discovered in a 1-0 defeat by Dynamo on 24 September.

Tight league
Dnipro, in eighth place, and FC Chornomorets Odesa, in ninth, have got off to slow starts, going by their own traditionally high standards. And in a tight league only five points separate tenth-placed FC Arsenal Kyiv from the bottom club, FC Borysfen Boryspil, who have drawn five of their nine matches.

Winless Borysfen
Borysfen are the only side still without a win after FC Metalurh Zaporizhya picked up their first victory away to FC Zakarpattya Uzhgorod on 25 September. Meanwhile, FC Vorskla Poltava's dramatic slump continues - they have lost seven matches in succession after starting the season with a pair of wins.

Last eight
Two first division sides have reached the quarter-finals of the Ukraine Cup. FC Naftovyk Okhtyrka and FC Niva Vynnytsa will be vying for semi-final spots with Shakhtar, Dynamo, Dnipro, FC Tavriya Simferopol, FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih and FC Volyn Lutsk.

Ukraine confidence
On the international front, Ukraine go into the FIFA World Cup qualifying match with Greece on 9 October in high spirits after kicking off their campaign with four points from two matches after drawing in Denmark and then beating Kazakhstan 2-1.