The top two outfits in Euro 2024 qualifying Group C square off in Saturday’s tantalising showdown, as Ukraine do battle with section leaders England at the Stadion Wrocław in Poland.
As war rages in the ‘home team’s’ homeland, a neutral ground will be the venue for the weekend’s encounter, as the Three Lions endeavour to make it 15 points from a possible 15.
Saturday’s clash will mark a renewal of hostilities six months on from Ukraine’s 2-0 beating at the hands of England at Wembley, which saw Sergiy Rebrov’s team get off to the worst possible start in the preliminary rounds before an enthralling 3-3 friendly draw with 2024 hosts Germany.
There was more for Ukraine to smile about when competitive action resumed in June, though, as a captivating 3-2 win over North Macedonia – in which they came from two goals down to prevail – preceded a 1-0 triumph over Malta courtesy of a Viktor Tsygankov penalty.
Three days before that slender triumph, the Girona attacker had netted Ukraine’s third and final goal to complete their remarkable turnaround against North Macedonia, allowing Rebrov’s team to cement their place in the top two of Group C at this embryonic stage.
Ukraine also have a game in hand on their upcoming foes, although Italy – who sit one place and three points worse off than Rebrov’s team – have also played one fewer match, and the Blue and Yellow must pit their wits against the reigning European champions three days after locking horns with England.
March’s defeat to the Three Lions represents Ukraine’s sole defeat from their last 13 European Championship qualifying battles, but with the added disadvantage of not playing on familiar territory, making it to a fourth finals in a row may be more of a tall order this time around.
With the nation gripped by Women’s World Cup fever over the summer, England’s men’s team now seek to prolong the feel-good factor after a near-faultless start to their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, having swept aside everything in their path so far.
Following a trio of successive wins over Italy, Ukraine and Malta, the Three Lions hosted North Macedonia at Old Trafford on June 19, but the visitors’ stopover at the Theatre of Dreams soon turned into a nightmare as Gareth Southgate’s ruthless troops hit them for seven.
Hat-trick hero Bukayo Saka took home a match ball for the first time, while Harry Kane (2), Marcus Rashford and Kalvin Phillips were also on target in that demolition job, which gave England an unassailable six-point lead at the top of Group C.
No UEFA nation in any of the groups can match the Three Lions’ 15 goals so far, and their winning streak in Euros qualifying matches now stands at seven games – during which they have only shipped one goal – since a 2-1 beating at the hands of the Czech Republic in 2019.
Prior to the Saka and Kane show in March’s victory over Ukraine, Southgate’s crop crushed the Blue and Yellow’s Euro 2020 dreams with a 4-0 quarter-final triumph, and a 1-0 win during a 2010 World Cup qualifier represents the only success for the ‘hosts’ in this fixture to date.
A couple of Ukrainian stalwarts will not be present for the showdown with England this weekend, as midfielder Mykola Shaparenko has pulled out with an injury and joins Ruslan Malinovskyi on the absentee list, while veteran goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov officially retired after a Shakhtar Donetsk summer friendly against Tottenham Hotspur.
However, Shaparenko’s absence coincides with the return of Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, who was absent for June’s fixtures and has now made a full recovery from his latest calf problem, which disrupted his start to the campaign in North London.
Everton left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko has also been called up despite a recent knock, while long-serving skipper Andriy Yarmolenko needs just four more strikes to overtake Andriy Shevchenko as his nation’s highest scorer of all time.
Speaking of withdrawals, England duo Jack Grealish and Trent Alexander-Arnold have both failed to recover from the injuries they sustained in domestic action and have pulled out of the squad, joining other notable absentees in Mason Mount, Luke Shaw, John Stones and Raheem Sterling, who was overlooked again despite a positive start to the Premier League campaign.
Callum Wilson, Levi Colwill and Saka – who was recently named England’s Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season – all trained inside earlier this week, but the trio are not believed to be nursing severe injuries and should be at Southgate’s disposal here.
Despite being relegated to fifth-choice centre-back at Manchester United, Harry Maguire should be one of the first names on the teamsheet for Southgate this weekend, while Marc Guehi, Fikayo Tomori and Lewis Dunk will battle to partner the 30-year-old.
Ukraine possible starting lineup:
Lunin; Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Krystov, Mykolenko; Stepanenko, Sydorchuk, Zinchenko; Yarmolenko, Vanat, Tsygankov
England possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Walker, Guehi, Maguire, Chilwell; Bellingham, Rice, Henderson; Saka, Kane, Rashford
We say: Ukraine 0-3 England
Lighting should strike twice for England against Ukraine this weekend, as Southgate’s side quickly bring the Blue and Yellow back down to earth with a comprehensive win on Polish soil.
With several Three Lions attackers starting the season in red-hot form – not to mention the exploits of Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid – a straightforward win for the ‘visitors’ is the only outcome we can envisage.
