Veres Rivne (home)
- Veres Rivne are short odds on favourites at 1.47 to extend their cushion over the relegation zone with three points against bottom club SK Poltava on Friday.
- Veres Rivne’s form has dipped in recent months, with just one win in their last five, but they have still performed well enough to remain 11th with 18 points from 15 matches.
- Oleh Shandruk is more of a pragmatist and has maintained a rigid structure to Veres’ game plan through the recent tough times, switching between 4-3-3 and 4-1-4-1 systems.
- The hosts will keep a low-to-mid block and will aim to counter-press and counter-attack when they can.
SK Poltava (away)
- SK Poltava have also won just once in five matches, conceding freely in several defeats and averaging just 0.8 goals per game.
- The visitors are long shots at 6.35, with the draw priced at 4.38 for this matchup between two pragmatic, defensive-minded sides.
- Poltava are in a relegation battle and must use this fixture to gain crucial points to pull them out of the relegation trapdoor.
- Poltava suffered heavy losses to Epitsentr and Rukh, but their surprise 2-1 win away at Dynamo Kyiv shows that head coach Pavlo Matviichenko’s direct approach can still surprise opponents.
Head-to-Head
There has only been one previous senior league meeting between these clubs, which Poltava won 1-0 away from home in the VBET Premier League in August 2025.
Key Players
- Oleg Veremiienko, who scored that winner, is still at the club and, along with midfielder Yevhen Misyura, has provided some key defensive and midfield contributions for the struggling club.
- Volodymyr Odariuk continues to lead their goalscoring charts and will be their most likely source of goals as they aim to keep their slim survival hopes alive.
- Vitaliy Boyko is their creative heartbeat and is a key link between defence and attack.
Betting Insights
- A tight, cagey, low-scoring game should be expected given the stakes, with both sides averaging well below one goal per game in recent fixtures and their only previous meeting ending 1-0.
- The recent head-to-head and the teams’ blunt attacks make the Under 2.5 goals market at 1.92 look a much safer bet for this contest.
Prediction
The bookies odds don’t offer much value for the likely result of this matchup, but we will lean towards Veres to get the win at home, although a draw can’t be discounted.
