If you’re looking for a lucrative market to add to your football betting basket, consider the Ukraine Premier League. More about the league’s best betting markets below.
Avid punters are always on the lookout for the next profitable market and this article introduces one that’s worth looking at. If you’re unaware of the Ukraine Premier League, do yourself a favor and read through to the end for tips on winning big in this market. First things first…
Ukraine Premier League Season Preview
The 2021-22 season features 16 teams of which 13 were in the previous season and three were promoted from the Ukrainian First League. The league enters match week 19 this weekend after a long winter break since December 2021.
Going into this weekend’s fixtures, Shakhtar Donetsk is top of the table with 47 points and Dynamo Kyiv is second with 45 points. Dnipro-1 is third with 30 points. On the relegation end, Mariupol remains 16th with just 8 points and Minai sits 15th with 10 points.
How is Ukrainian football run? What is the Ukraine premier league?
Ukrainian football is run and governed by the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF). The UAF sets regulations for the Ukraine Premier League, the Professional Football League, Ukrainian Professional League, the Ukrainian Cup, the Amatory, the Ukraine national football team, and under-18 football competitions.
The Ukraine Premier League (UPL), in particular, is the top football competition of Ukrainian annual football championships. The league constitutes Ukraine-based clubs that formerly took part in the Soviet top 3 tiers championships.
Dynamo Kyiv is the most successful club in the competition with 16 titles to its name, and it continues to be the UPL’s “flagship club”. However, Shakhtar Donetsk has dominated the league in the last 10 seasons, winning 8 titles with the other two won by Dynamo Kyiv, including the 2020-21 title. Currently, teams that finish first and second in the UPL qualify to participate in Europe’s prestigious competition, the UEFA Champions League.
Top Teams and Key Players in Ukraine premier league
The leading or rather popular teams in the Ukraine Premier League are Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk. Other popular sides among Ukrainian fans include Metalist Kharkiv, Dnipro, Karpaty Lviv, and Chornomorets Odesa.
When it comes to key players, Ukraine has produced some top quality players and some of them have even played abroad. These include legends such as Andriy Shevchenko, who played as a striker for Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan, Chelsea and the country’s national team. Other legends include Anatoliy Tymoschuk, Oleh Husyev, and Ruslan Rotan.
As of today, the league’s key players include midfielder Taras Stepanenko of Shakhtar Donetsk, David Neres (Shakhtar Donetsk), Viktor Tsygankov (Dynamo Kyiv), Vitaly Buyalskyi (Dynamo Kyiv), just to mention but a few. According to the transfer market, Dynamo’s Viktor Tsygankov is the most valuable player in the UPL as of the time of writing with a market value of €25 million, followed by Dodo, Tete and David Neres all worth €20 million.
Where to find betting odds for the Ukrainian premier league?
There are multiple online bookmakers that offer betting odds for the UPL. To mention but a few, they include betting giants bet365, 1xBet, and 22Bet. You can consider MozzartBet, Sportpesa, ForeBet and Odibets, so you can also find if the bookies in your area offer odds for Ukrainian football. When it comes to football predictions, you can always check what the folks at Takebet in South Africa have in mind.
Top tips and predictions for Ukrainian premier league
The Ukraine Premier League 2021-22 season went on a winter break on December 12, 2021 and is set to resume this weekend on February 25, 2022. Shakhtar Donetsk is ahead of Dynamo Kyiv by two points going into match day 19, with the former at 47 points and the latter at 45 points. The title race is set to continue when Shakhtar entertains Metalist 1925 Kharkiv away from home while Dynamo Kyiv hosts Inhulets.
Game week 19 will kick off with a match between Minai and Zorya. The hosts have managed just a single win in their last 18 league games. On the other hand, Zorya are undefeated in 13 of their last 15 games.
On Saturday, Dynamo Kyiv will be looking to move on top of the table for at least two hours when 14th-placed Inhulets visit Dynamo Stadium.
Leaders Shakhtar Donetsk will be expected to respond when they face Metalist 1925 Kharkiv away from home. The hosts are winless in all their last five games and would be hoping to upset the high-flying Miners in only their second meeting ever. The leaders won the first leg 2-0.
Late kick-off saw two mid-table sides PFK Aleksandria and FC Lviv lock horns. These two sides have performed well during their mid-season club friendlies and they will be looking to put a show in this one. The reverse fixture produced a 1-1 result and it is worth noting that the away side in this fixture has not won in all their last 5 encounters.
An additional three games will be played on Sunday. 5th-placed Vorskla vs Veres Rivne at number 9 will kick off the day. Both teams are winless in their last three Premier League games. This will be their second meeting ever in the league as Veres Rivne entered the league just this season. The first leg was a draw but Vorskla went on to eliminate Veres Rivne in the domestic cup competition.
3rd-placed Dnipro-1 will take on Desna, who sit 7th on the table. In the last 10 home league games, Dnipro-1 is unbeaten in 9. They have also won by 2 or more goals in their last five home games. On the other hand, Desna have conceded an average of 1.5 goals in their Premier League games.
Elsewhere, Chernomorets will host Mariupol. The hosts sit 4 points clear of relegation and they are on a poor run having conceded over 1.5 goals in all their last home games. The away side isn’t any good either for they have recorded just two wins this season.
Concluding match day 19 will be a clash between Rukh Vynnyky and Kolos Kovalivka. The home side have lost just one of their last 11 home games, and they have kept a clean sheet in their last three. Kolos Kovalika are unbeaten in their last five league games, winning 4, drawn 1.
Best Defending Teams
Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk are the best in the defense department thus far, having conceded 9 and 10 goals, respectively, after 18 games.
Worst Defending Teams
Ukraine’s Premier League’s poorest defenses include Mariupol, which has shipped 44 goals, and Chernomorets, which has conceded 40 goals thus far. The two lock horns this weekend and either side’s record may be stretched even further.
Best Attacking Teams
Once again, this one goes to the top two teams in the Premier League. Shakhtar Donetsk has scored 49 goals and its closest rival Dinamo Kiev has managed 47 goals in just 18 outings. Further behind is Zorya with 37 goals netted.
Worst Attacking Teams
The worst attacking teams thus far are Minai with just 12 goals in 18 matches, and Inhulets with only 13 goals from 17 games. The latter has a game in hand.
Top Scorers
The leading goal scorers in the Ukraine Premier League is Artem Dovbyk of Dnipro-1 with 14 strikes followed by Viktor Tsygankov (11), and Vitaliy Buyalskyy and Mateus Cardoso Lemos Martins both with 9 goals.
Top Assists
When it comes to assists, Olivier Thill of Vorskla leads with 7 followed by Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhailo Mudryk with 6.
How to bet on Ukraine’s premier league picks?
Well, all you have to do is visit a bookie that’s offering Ukraine Premier League selections and place a bet of your favorite picks. A few recommendations include bet365, William Hill and Paddy Power.
What are the best betting markets for Ukraine’s premier league?
So far the best market is the half time draw market, which has an impressive turnout of 44%. This can be followed with No Goals in the first half given that 33% of the 44% have ended up in barren draws. If you have more ambitions such as participating in a free tipster competition, these UPL markets can boost your chances and earn you many points.
That’s it and now you’re set to take on the Ukraine Premier League market by storm.
