Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
The Ukrainians have secured a solid advantage ahead of the return leg, having achieved a home victory with a score of 3-1. Now, they only need to avoid losing by two goals to secure a ticket to the next division. The Belgians, on the other hand, will have to turn the situation around on their home turf, where the team traditionally performs powerfully. I suggest betting on the outcome of this match with good odds.
Match Preview
The Belgians clearly did not expect such a turn of events: despite playing on neutral ground, Ukraine managed to dictate the terms and deservedly took the victory. The "Red Devils" did not display their usual might, and their crisis seems to be gaining momentum. The team is in dire need of a generational change, but this process is proving to be painful – relegation from League A, lackluster performance at the Euros, and now a tough position in the Nations League playoffs.
Rudi Garcia had an unsuccessful debut at the helm of the national team: the Frenchman's charges opened the scoring but then conceded three unanswered goals. This marks the fourth consecutive defeat for the Belgians in the Nations League, and their winless streak in the tournament stands at six matches (1 draw, 5 losses). Now, to maintain their place in the elite, the hosts need to win by at least three goals. If they manage to win by two goals, the ticket's fate will be decided in extra time.
The Ukrainians surprised by outplaying the renowned opponent, despite the neutral ground in Spain. Serhiy Rebrov's team played extremely efficiently and managed to create a solid advantage before the return leg. Now, to return to League A, they only need to maintain their advantage – a draw or even a narrow defeat will secure the desired result.
Interestingly, under Rebrov, the national team has played 19 official matches but has only scored more than two goals on three occasions. At the same time, Ukraine feels confident in the Nations League, remaining unbeaten in five consecutive matches (3 wins, 2 draws).
Probable Lineups
- Belgium: Thibaut Courtois – Zeno Debast, Thomas Meunier, Maxim De Keiper, Koni De Winter, Brandon Mechele – Amadou Onana, Kevin De Bruyne, Leandro Trossard – Charles De Ketelaere, Romelu Lukaku
- Ukraine: Andriy Lunin – Illia Zabarnyi, Mykola Matviyenko, Vitaliy Mykolenko, Yehor Yarmolyuk – Ivan Kalyuzhnyi, Oleksandr Zinchenko – Viktor Tsyhankov, Mykola Shaparenko, Heorhii Sudakov – Roman Yaremchuk
Match Facts and Head-to-Head
- The "Both Teams to Score" bet has played out in 6 of the last 7 matches involving Ukraine in the Nations League
- Ukraine scored first in five of their last seven away matches in the Nations League
- The "Under 2.5 Goals" bet has played out in 8 of the last 11 matches involving Belgium in the Nations League
Prediction
In the first match, Rudi Garcia's team showed extremely low attacking efficiency, as reflected by the xG statistic – 2.82:0.59 in favor of Ukraine. It's unlikely that the situation will change drastically in the return match – the Ukrainians are adept at building defensive fortresses, while the "Red Devils" clearly have creativity issues in attack. Our bet is "Ukraine to win with a +1.5 handicap" at odds of 1.70.
