Ukraine National Football Team

Manager / Andriy Shevchenko
Appointed / July 2016
Captain / Andriy Pyatov
Top Scorer in Euro 2020 Qualifiers / 3 players on 3 goals (Malinovskyi, Yarmolenko and Tsygankov).
Top Scorer in Squad (Domestic season 2020-21) / Roman Yaremchuk, 17 (Gent, Belgian Jupiler League)
Most Carded in qualifying /  Taras Stepanenko, 4.
Group: C, vs. Netherlands (13/06/2021), vs. North Macedonia (17/04/2021), vs. Austria (21/06/2021)

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *

Ukraine Road to Euro 2020

Ukraine blitzed through a tough qualifying group unbeaten, with Andriy Shevchenko’s side playing some very nice football en route to topping Group B. Though Luxembourg and Lithuania didn’t offer too difficult opposition, finishing ahead of Serbia and 2016 Euro winners Portugal was an amazing feat for a country that failed to qualify for the last World Cup. They have struggled a bit since, winning just two competitive games since the qualifying campaign ended. There have been mitigating circumstances though, and possibly no national side across Europe has had more to deal with than Ukraine. They’ve had a staggering number of covid call-offs which scuppered their Nations League campaign and the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian War at home doesn’t make anything easier, particularly when it leads the likes of Zenit centre half Yaroslav Rakitskiy to be omitted from Ukraine squads since 2019 despite being good enough to be a start for his nation.

Ukraine Euro 2020 Squad

Shevchenko does have a talented crop at his disposal with an interesting blend of domestic players and some players dotted around the bigger leagues in Europe. The vast majority of this Ukraine squad ply their trade in the Ukrainian Premier League with Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv players taking up 15 of the 26 spots, with some real talent in that domestic bunch. The two stars of this side, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ruslan Malinovskyi are in Europe’s top 5 sides with both playing prominent roles for Man City and Atalanta respectively. Their partnership in midfield could be key if they’re to get out of the Euro 2020 group stage for the first time in their history.

Goalkeeper

All three stoppers chosen by Shevchenko are domestic based, with the Shakhtar duo of Anatoliy Trubin and Andriy Pyatov contesting Dynamo Kyiv’s Heorhiy Bushchan for the number one jersey. Pyatov had been the long-established number one, playing all three games at Euro 2016, but he has lost his place for club to Trubin and now looks to have lost his place for country to Bushchan. It’s probably a tournament too early for Trubin, though his impressive performances in the Champions League have shown he’ll almost certainly be a key component in the future of the Ukrainian national team.

Defence

With Zinchenko lining up in the midfield for his country, as opposed to his more regular left-back spot for his club, the back four will be made of only domestic players. Dynamo Kyiv’s youngsters Ilya Zabarnyi and Vitaliy Mykolenko will push for starts and both could find themselves in the back four against the Netherlands, though it’s Mykolenko at left back that’s more likely to start. Oleksandr Karavayev will start on the right-hand side of the defence with Mykola Matviyenko the most likely of all of the centre halves to start. It will be interesting to see how this domestic back five competes against the talented front lines of Austria and the Netherlands, should they be able to deal with their adversaries then there’s no reason that Ukraine can’t cause a bit of damage.  

Midfield

The Ukraine midfield is packed with talent, namely in the shape of Man City’s Zinchenko and Atalanta’s Malinoskyi. They’ll be given the freedom to create by the experienced Shakhtar Donetsk holding midfielder Taras Stepanenko. The 31-year-old managed four yellows in six qualifying games for this tournament and he’s no shrinking violet at club level either, picking up yellow cards with regularity for Shakhtar too. Stepanenko trying to deal with some talented Group C playmakers in the shape of Memphis Depay, David Alaba and Enis Bardhi could make the ideal player for a cards bet, especially with him not receiving too much defensive support from those in front of him.

Attack

There’s more quality in the Ukraine front line with the front three able to interchange almost regardless of which trio Shevchenko opts for. West Ham’s Andriy Yarmolenko is a key component of the forward line despite featuring fleetingly at club level and he will most likely be joined Roman Yaremchuk of Gent. The 25-year-old striker has come off a fantastic season in Belgium, scoring goals for fun at a Gent side that hardly pulled up any trees and he could see Euro 2020 as a chance to impress bigger clubs and earn a move. The third attacking berth is less clear, with the domestic duo of Junior Moraes and Viktor Tsygankov both capable of winning games. Tsygankov may be given the nod by Shevchenko with the winger a match-winner on his day though does often end up injured thanks to a slight frame and penchant for committing defenders.

Ukraine predicted line-up vs. Holland: Bushchan; Karavayev, Zanarnyi, Matviyenko, Mykolenko; Malinovskyi, Stepanenko, Zinchenko; Tysgankov, Yaremchuk, Yarmolenko (4-3-3).

Ukraine Euro 2020 Betting Tips & Predictions

Though I do expect they may end up third in the group and still qualify through to the Round of 16, I wouldn’t put it past Ukraine to cash in on the dysfunctionality at Holland and/or Austria and sneak through as part of the top two. Neither the Netherlands nor Austria enter this tournament in the best shape so this dangerous Ukraine outfit could be a shout to finish second after capitalising on one of their opponents, and at 2.5 in what should be a tight group regardless if one of the more fancied nations implodes that does look a tempting price.

Regardless of where they finish, should they make it through to the Round of 16 then they will likely meet their maker at that stage. There’s a good chance they’ll face one of the pre-tournament favourites should they advance and even though they do possess a dangerous side, I think a tie against a nation like Italy will probably be beyond this young Ukrainian side.

One angle I do like is for Ruslan Malinovskyi to end the tournament as his nation’s top scorer. The Atalanta midfielder finds himself as joint fourth favourite for the accolade at 5.5, behind Yaremchuk, Yarmolenko and Tsygankov. The attacking midfielder managed 10 goals for Atalanta last season, six of which came in his final nine appearances, notching against the likes of Juventus (twice) and Roma in the final few months which does give me belief he’ll be able to trouble the Dutch and Austrian defences, as well as potentially filling his boots against North Macedonia.

Predicted stage of elimination: Round of 16

How to watch Ukraine v North Macedonia Euro 2020

📅   When / Thursday, 17 June 2021, 14:00 BST
🏟   Where / Arena Națională (Bucharest)
📺   TV / BBC One, ZDF
📱   Online streaming / bet365