LNZ and Kharkiv had met four times in the Ukrainian Premier League before their Round 11 encounter. Each side recorded one victory, while the other two games were drawn and the aggregate score stood at 3-3.

The Ukrainian Premier League reported the figures on Saturday, October 31, via upl.ua. In two matches hosted by LNZ, the home team managed one draw and suffered one defeat, with Kharkiv holding a 2-1 edge in goals. Their previous game at the venue ended 1-1 on April 26, 2026.

The fixture was set to mark LNZ’s 50th UPL home appearance and Kharkiv’s 60th away match in the championship. Kharkiv also brought a club-record six-game winning streak into the contest, along with a run of ten league matches without a draw.

Coach Mladen Bartulovic was due to take charge of Kharkiv for the 40th time in the UPL. Peter Itodo was one goal short of 15 in the competition, Mark Assinor needed one for his 10th, and LNZ goalkeeper Oleksii Palamarchuk was chasing a 35th clean sheet. Oleksii Derevinskyi, with 61 previous UPL assignments, was named as referee.