Prediction and odds for the game: Ukraine (5/2) vs Austria (11/4)
We are backing Ukraine to win
When: Monday, 21st June 2021, Kick-off 16:00
Where: National Arena (Bucharest)
On Monday evening, Ukraine host Austria at the National Arena in Bucharest in Group C of Euro 2020, with both teams looking to seal their spots in the last-16 of the competition.
Ukraine
Andrey Shevchenko recovered well from their opening game 3-2 defeat against the Netherlands to beat North Macedonia 2-1 in their last group. The victory means that they only need a point to ensure they make it to the last-16. However, they could even suffer defeat and make the last-16, depending on what happens in the other groups. Ukraine would have always thought qualification from this group would have been a realistic prospect.
They head into this game on the back of some decent results, as they have now won three of their last four international matches, while also being prolific of late by scoring at least two goals in each of their last three international outings.
Ukraine look set to name an unchanged line-up to the one that beat North Macedonia. That means that Oleksandr Zubkov will continue to miss out on the starting eleven.
Austria
Franco Foda’s team opened their campaign with a 3-1 defeat of North Macedonia but then suffered a 2-0 loss against the Netherlands last time out. With the top two teams qualifying for the knockout stages, Austria will want to win the match. However, a draw would be enough to ensure third place and likely qualification for the knockout stages of the tournament.
The defeat against the Dutch continued a poor run of form in the international game for Das Team, as the loss means they have won just one of their last five games, having suffered three defeats in the process. One worrying trend for Austria is that they have also failed to score in four of those five recent matches. At the other end of the pitch, a record of one clean sheet in their last nine international games suggests they are also vulnerable defensively.
Austria will welcome back experienced former West Ham player Marko Arnautovic into the squad after he missed out on their last game through suspension. Youngster Sasa Kalajdzic is another attacking option for Foda’s team after the Stuttgart forward only came off the bench last time out.
Conclusion
Neither of these teams has impressed that much during Euro 2020. However, it could be argued that Ukraine were slightly better against the Netherlands in the defeat and have looked more dangerous in attack in recent matches. We are backing Ukraine to record a narrow win, but we are expecting the game to be tight too. With that in mind, the other recommendation we make is to back under 2.5 goals scored.
Verdict: We are backing the Ukraine win at odds of 5/2 and/or under 2.5 goals scored at odds of 4/11. (All odds are taken from Bet365).
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Who will come out on top between these two teams in Bucharest?
