Ukraine vs Austria
Ukraine vs Austria takes place in Bucharest on June 21 as Group C of Euro2020 comes to a conclusion. This game has an air of winner takes all about it; the teams are deadlocked on three points in the group; only the fact that Ukraine have scored more goals separates them. A win or a draw will see Ukraine qualify in second, while Austria need to win if they are to automatically progress. Read on for more analysis, match predictions and betting tips.
Form
Ukraine come into this game on the back of a good 2-1 win over North Macedonia in Bucharest. West Ham Winger Andriy Yarmolenko and Gent striker Roman Yaremchuk both scored their second goals of the tournament in a comprehensive win while Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi saw his penalty saved. That win has put Ukraine in a strong position for the final game and with just one defeat this calendar year coach Andriy Shevchenko will be hopeful that his team can push on to the knockout round.
Austria were comprehensively beaten in Amsterdam by a strong Netherlands side and now have to pick themselves up for this game. Franco Foda’s team have had a real mixed bag of results this year, and having to travel back to Romania from the Netherlands adds another difficulty to the equation. Austria have kept one clean sheet in nine games and they know they will need to be better if they are to get past the group stage for the first time in the European Championships.
Injuries
Shevchenko once again should have a full squad to choose from in the final group game with no new injuries reported in the Ukraine squad. There has been some good performances, particularly from wide man Yarmolenko and forward Yaremchuk and if Ukraine are to progress they’ll need more of the same. Yarmolenko has struggled for fitness at his club in the past year and it will be interesting to see if he can maintain this standard with the quick run of games.
Marko Arnautovic returns to the squad having been suspended for a game for insulting two North Macedonian players following his goal for Austria in the opening group game. There is a question over whether the Shanghai Port striker will return to the starting line up with Foda preferring Christoph Baumgartner and Sasa Kalajdzic in the opening game. Skipper David Alaba has been playing in a more advanced left midfield role and he will be a crucial route of supply.
Match Predictions
This match is unusual in that the current favourite with the bookies is the draw at around 2.00, with Ukraine and Austria priced at 2.30 each. This proves just how hard the bookies think this is to call; they’re expecting a very tight game with BTTS: No a heavy favourite and under 2.5 goals at a very miserly 1.50. The betting tips to follow on this game will be ones from any punter with an insight into which teams are going to be picked or who has an inside track on injuries - at the moment, it’s almost too tight to call.
