Euro 2016 preview and odds: Ukraine vs Northern Ireland

Published on: 15/06/2016

Euro 2016 preview and odds: Ukraine vs Northern Ireland

Stade de Lyon, Lyon - June 16, 2016

Group stage - Group C

Ukraine will take on Northern Ireland in Lyon knowing that they have never lost to their Group C rivals in five previous meetings.

Both teams without a point in Group C

After falling 2-0 to Germany in their opening game, Ukraine will be looking to get their Euro 2016 campaign back on track when they face Northern Ireland in Lyon on Thursday. The British side will also be keen to get some points after losing 1-0 to Poland on Match Day One.

The two sides have only met four times previously, with Ukraine winning both fixtures during the 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign, while both their previous European Championship meetings (in qualifying for the 2004 edition) ended in goalless draws.

Ukraine have featured at one previous European Championship event, when they co-hosted the tournament back in 2012. They booked their place in France via a play-off win over Slovenia. The 2006 World Cup quarter-finalists have already played their toughest game in this group and will be looking to gain the upper hand in the race for second place in Group C.

Northern Ireland were left a little disappointed by their performance against Poland on the opening day, and with Germany still to play, they may need to win this game to stand a chance of progressing. They may have to change their deeply defensive approach if they are to prevail on Thursday.

Form (all competitions):

Ukraine: LWWWW

Northern Ireland: LDWWD

Betting predictions

Northern Ireland will need to change their game plan if they are to prolong their involvement in this tournament. However, Ukraine may benefit if they over commit themselves to an attacking formation. The fear of defeat for both teams could see this game end in a draw.

You can back the draw at 3/1 with Bet365.

By Neil Morris

Published on: 15/06/2016

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (15/06/2016 17:17:52) but are subject to change.