EuroFootball.com continues its reviews of European football leagues. This time, the Ukrainian "Premier" league will be reviewed, where sixteen rounds have been played and teams are currently resting during the winter break. This review will cover the situation in Ukraine, how the favorites are doing, and which player is dominating the league - all in this overview.
Leaders: "Dynamo" and "Shakhtar"
In the weakened Ukrainian league, there is a dual leadership. After sixteen rounds, both "Shakhtar" and "Dynamo" have lost just five points each and are confidently leading the tournament. In their clash in October, "Shakhtar" convincingly defeated their main rivals 3-0, so they are considered the favorites to win the league. However, the fate of the Ukrainian championship will also depend on how these teams manage to keep their leaders. Both Alex Teixeira and Andriy Yarmolenko are sought after by European football giants, and in the current situation, none of these teams could adequately replace them.
Disappointment: "Dnipro"
The biggest disappointment is not the fourth place that "Dnipro" currently holds, but its financial situation. The club is drowning in debts and is even considering the possibility of completely ceasing football-related activities. It is reported that if "Dnipro" does not cover their debts of nearly 2 million dollars within a month, they face a several-year disqualification from European tournaments. Even considering the current situation in Ukraine, the collapse of the "Dnipro" team that played in the Europa League final last year would be a particularly painful and unexpected blow to Ukrainian football.
Top Scorer: Alex Teixeira
In the Ukrainian league, Teixeira has no equals. Scoring 22 goals in 15 matches, he leads the table of top scorers more than twice as much as his closest competitors. The only question is when the Brazilian, who has long been linked with a move to Chelsea, will follow the example of many other talented players and leave the Ukrainian "Premier" league.
Level of competition:
Due to the situation in the country, the level of the Ukrainian league has significantly weakened. This is demonstrated not only by the noticeably poorer results of the clubs but also by the fact that no team this year spent more in the transfer market than they earned. Nine clubs did not spend anything on acquiring new players this summer, and five clubs even made a profit from selling players.
Ukrainian league standings:
Tautvydas Sakalauskas
