Source – Photo by sergey.yaroshevskiy.gmail.com
This season in Ukrainian football looks very unusual – during the winter break, the UPL standings are not headed by the teams that fans expected to see at the top, and these same leaders managed to fly out of the Cup even before the semi-finals. In such conditions, the Ukrainian Cup winner 2024 may turn out to be a ticket to the League of Legends for its owner – the Ukrainians, unlike the British, do not neglect this.
The unusual tournament position in the Premier League is largely due to the numerous postponements of autumn matches – a number of teams simply did not play everything they were supposed to. However, this does not change the fact that the fight for the Cup will be hot, and quite a lot is at stake. If you like football betting, visit Mostbet ckachat, and we will try to rank the tournament favorites according to how their chances are assessed by bookmakers.
Read our expert analysis of the Ukrainian Cup winner 2024:
Shakhtar – 1.35
Bookmakers are confident that in this season’s Cup, there is Shakhtar, and there is everyone else. There is no other way to describe such a coefficient: even within the framework of one match, it makes the team a clear favorite, but here it extends to the successive passage of two opponents. If you look from the point of view of recent transfers, the Donetsk team really lives on a separate planet – they spent significantly more than other UPL clubs combined.
However, newcomers must first integrate into Shakhtar’s game formations – they are unlikely to start playing instantly. Participation in the Europa League will distract the Donetsk team from the Ukrainian Cup: especially if they manage to overcome the first barrier in the form of French Marseille. In addition, cup tournaments are good because any misfire there costs a lot, and Grigorchuk’s Chernomorets, awaiting an opponent in the semifinals, will definitely take advantage of the chance.
Proof that Shakhtar does not look like a clear hegemon is the standings. The Donetsk club is only the fourth in it so far; True, in terms of lost points he is first, but on a par with Dynamo, which only the lazy did not kick in the fall. Therefore, such obvious favoritism of the Donetsk people is largely paper in nature about the Ukrainian Cup winner 2024.
Polesie – 4.0
The Zhytomyr club barely managed to reach the UPL when it immediately began to restore order in the division. It’s not surprising: unlike the vast majority of competitors, the guys from Zhytomyr have money – not the same as Shakhtar, but still you can not limit yourself to signing free agents and loans. The result is at least a Cup semi-final, and third (above Donetsk and Kyiv) place in the UPL as of the winter break.
Vorskla, which will try to stop Polesie in the semifinals, is in a great fever. The club from Zhitomir is eager to discover its own European Cup history – it will probably be possible to do this through the championship, but it would be useful to play it safe in the Cup, at same time winning the first significant trophy. It looks like the team already has a ticket to the finals, and then it depends on your luck.
Vorskla – 10
The Poltava team could have rejoiced at a relatively easy draw in the Cup semi-finals (at least not immediately Shakhtar), if they had not had such a heap of problems. The owner of the club, Konstantin Zhevago, has state criminal charges, due to which his assets are periodically seized; his company Ferrexpo, related to the financing of Vorskla, is suffering from the war. In short, the financial well-being of the team is a big question mark, and this no longer contributes to morale and prevents us from inviting good performers.
But there is no need to completely write off Vorskla, no matter how difficult it may be for it. The team, which was already in a fever back then, managed to finish the autumn part in seventh place, and although the gap from the guaranteed European Cup fourth position is approximately the same as the handicap above the relegation zone, the problematic team is not considered a candidate for elimination. In winter, they managed to attract such a notable performer as Sergei Myakushko – that is, the club is not completely falling apart yet.
The chances of the Ukrainian Cup winner 2024, to be honest, are slim, but the Poltava team is obliged to at least compete for the final.
Chernomorets – 15
With the return of Grigorchuk to the coaching bridge, Odessa fans perked up and believed that the team would regain its former glory. This was not the case: the specialist came with normal financing, and the new investors who came to replace Klimov, who had lost power and assets, turned out to be problematic from the point of view of the law. The result is that Chernomorets is stuck exactly in the middle of the UPL standings, and although it is unlikely to be relegated, we can forget about big ambitions for now.
The only exception is participation in the Ukrainian Cup: having reached the semi-finals, it would be a sin not to dream of a trophy. True, the Odessa team was unlucky with the draw: they must immediately confront Shakhtar, who on paper is definitely many times more powerful. Hence the low odds for the title, but let’s not forget that a sensation in one match is always possible.
Our forecast
If Shakhtar takes cup matches seriously, he is guaranteed Ukrainian Cup winner 2024. If the difficult calendar (due to success in the Europa League and finishing the missed autumn matches) tires the Pitmen, then any of the other three contenders could be the winner.
