Prediction and odds for the game:  Ukraine (15/2) vs England (2/5)

We are backing Raheem Sterling to be an anytime goalscorer at odds of 7/4

When: Saturday, 3rd July 2021, Kick-off 20:00

Where: The Stadio Olimpico

On Saturday night, Ukraine and England face off at the Stadio Olimpico for a place in the semi-finals of Euro 2020.

Ukraine

National hero Andrey Shevchenko has guided his team to unknown territory at Euro 2020. The Eastern European nation has never out of the group stages of a European Championships, let alone to the quarter-finals. In fact, before this tournament, Ukraine has only qualified twice for the competition, in 2012 and 2016.

Ukraine have made the last eight, despite winning just one of their games in 90 minutes. They made it to the last eight with a 2-1 win over Sweden in extra time after the Scandinavians had Markus Danielsson dismissed. Everybody connected with the team will know they will have to up their game against a well-disciplined England team if they are to have a chance of upsetting the odds in this clash.

Ukraine don’t have the best of records against their opponents, winning just one of the seven international clashes between the pair, while suffering four losses. However, the last two meetings have ended in draws.

England

There seems to be growing confidence in the current England team that the Three Lions can go all the way at Euro 2020. Head coach Gareth Southgate has put his team out to defend first and foremost during the competition, but that has proved a shrewd tactic as they have won three of their four matches during the tournament.

England have built their decent recent form on strong defensive displays, as they have kept clean sheets in seven of their last eight international matches, conceding just once in the run. They are certainly hard to beat, with central midfield pair Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips a good shield in front of the backline.

The three Lions performances at Euro 2020 have been solid so far. Their best result undoubtedly came in a 2-0 last-16 win over a below-par Germany. Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling scored his third of the tournament to open the scoring and will be looking to add to his goal tally in this clash.

England have doubts over the fitness of both Kieran Trippier and Declan Rice for this clash. Reece James and Jordan Henderson are on standby to replace the pair if needed.

Conclusion

Not only are Ukraine underdogs to progress, but they are also the least fancied team in the betting to win Euro 2020. However, if the tournament so far has taught us anything it is that football can shock and surprise you. We do believe that England will record a win, but only by a narrow margin and it doesn’t offer great odds. We are instead backing the game to produce under 2.5 goals. The other bet we recommend is Raheem Sterling to be an anytime goalscorer. The City forward has looked sharp at Euro 2020 and has been England’s most dangerous attacking player.

Verdict: We are backing Raheem Sterling to be an anytime goalscorer at odds of 7/4 and/or under 2.5 goals scored at odds of 4/5. (All odds are taken from Bet365).

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Will Ukraine or England book their place in the last eight of Euro 2020?