- Team form: Veres Rivne are 10th with 29 points from 25 games while Epitsentr Dunayivtsi are 12th with 25 after 25.
- Home form: Veres Rivne have won four, tied three and lost five of their 12 home Premier League matches in 2025-2026
Veres should edge out their mid-table rivals
Veres Rivne should edge out FC Epitsentr Dunayivtsi in what could be a tight and cagey contest when the two mid-table Premier League 2025-2026 clubs meet in Rivne on Saturday. Veres are in decent form with two wins, one draw and two defeats in their last five, although the bad news came in their two most recent away games against Metalist 1925 (4-0) and Zorya (2-0).
They followed up with a superb 3-0 win at FC Oleksandriya under new boss Oleh Shandruk, who took charge in December 2023. Shandruk has made the team harder to beat by using a back four or a five-man defence depending on the opponent and game situation. He has a free-scoring forward in Denys Ndukve, who has four goals in 19 league appearances, but knows how to adapt the team to manage risk and control the tempo.
Cagey affair expected as two mid-table clubs meet
Tactics and pressing
Epitsentr are another team that like to press the action, but instead of the high-octane approach that has served them well against clubs with similar qualities, they will have to be careful not to leave the flanks open to Veres’ counter-attacks. Sergiy Nagornyak’s high-energy tactics, which have seen the club punch above their weight since his appointment in September 2022, have produced a mixed run of one win, two draws and two losses in their last five games.
Recent form and scorers
They follow up a 1-0 away defeat at Zorya with consecutive home draws against Karpaty (0-0) and FC Oleksandriya (1-1).
- Two of Veres’ last six goals have been scored by Igor Kharatin in their previous five games, while Carlos Rojas has netted two of Epitsentr’s last three goals in the last five.
- Epitsentr top scorer Joaquinete leads the way with six in 25 Premier League games for the visitors so far.
Shandruk’s side should maintain momentum
The odds on Veres to repeat their 2023-24 home win in this fixture seem a little high at 2.28, but we are taking it because of Shandruk’s early impact on the squad. Epitsentr have lost their last two away matches and probably don’t have quite enough quality to cause an upset.
Our main selection, however, is Under 2.5 goals at 1.78 because this fixture will test Veres’ adaptability against Epitsentr’s all-action pressing style. The game may be tight and tactical as neither side wants to get caught out, so there will probably be few chances for each team to convert.
