Prior to facing Slovakia in the next series of matches, Ukraine and Romania, two direct competitors for a spot in the knockout stage, will have a highly anticipated and exciting clash. The team that achieves a favorable result after 90 minutes will gain a significant advantage at the end of the EURO 2024 group stage.
First-half match prediction for Ukraine vs Romania
Ultimately, after the efforts in the play-off matches, the Ukrainian national team has also reached the EURO finals for the 4th time in history. However, do not underestimate their strength due to the team’s struggles, as coach Serhiy Rebrov’s team is considered to have a high chance of advancing in Group E and is expected to be a dark horse in the tournament in Germany. The attention of football enthusiasts towards Ukraine is certainly not without basis. This team also possesses renowned stars in their lineup such as Zinchenko and Mudryk, top players in the Premier League, as well as Artem Dovbyk, a striker who recently finished second in the La Liga top scorer race. Despite not being among the top favorites, the team from Eastern Europe is still very much worth watching.
The upcoming match against Romania will be a significant test for Ukraine’s potential attacking prowess, as the homeland of legend Gheorghe Hagi possesses an extremely impressive defensive record. In 10 qualifying matches, Romania conceded only 5 goals, a remarkable ratio for a team composed of relatively unknown players. Due to the lack of star power in the lineup, the choice to build a tight defensive style under the guidance of coach Edward Iordanescu is highly reasonable. For those who have observed Romania’s extremely frustrating tactical system in recent times, it will not be easy for Zinchenko and his teammates to breach the opponent’s defense. The first half of the match is predicted to be tightly contested and exploratory from both Ukraine and Romania, making goals unlikely during this period. Additionally, with a lineup featuring wing speedsters like Mudryk, Yarmolenko, and Tsygankov on Ukraine’s side, the corner kick bet is also a sensible and low-risk option. Prediction: Under 1.5 first-half goals, over 4.5 first-half corner kicks
Full match prediction for the Ukraine vs Romania showdown
In contrast to the first half of the match, recent matches have shown that Ukraine is a team with a habit of unleashing their potential in the second half, especially in the first 15 minutes of the latter half of the match. Here, the difference created by the stars on the Ukrainian team is evident compared to the Romania lineup lacking standout players. For Romania, a draw against the team considered the second strongest in the group is not a bad result for coach Edward Iordanescu’s squad, so they will not take risks by launching attacks against Ukraine and then facing the potential danger of counterattacks from the opponent’s speedy players. The tight defensive system will still be maintained by Romania for the majority of the match.
It will not be simple for either team to resolve this match through tactics or attacking play, as neither Ukraine nor Romania are highly rated in the match.Instead, a shining moment of the star will help this competition find the winner, most likely coming from Ukraine. According to predictions, the second half is likely to be similar to the first 45 minutes. Ukraine will still have to solve the puzzle of how to reach Moldovan’s goal. Therefore, it is likely that the corner kicks will continue to be maintained at a high frequency by the players on the yellow team. Betting on corner kicks or Ukraine corner handicap is a reasonable choice.
As for the full match over/under odds of only 1.5 set by the bookmakers, it will make many people hesitant in their choice, whether over or under. Instead of accepting that risk, choosing “no” in the bet for both teams to score will be much wiser. In the last 3 out of 5 matches of Romania, only 1 team scored, a similar statistic was also created in the last 5 matches of Ukraine.
Prediction: Both teams to score – No, Ukraine corner handicap, full-time corner kick over/under.
