Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the fixtures of the final 30th round of the Ukrainian championship will take place on Friday at the Nika CSC in Oleksandriya, where Inhulets will face Poltava's Vorskla. Here’s a betting tip for the outcome of this clash with strong chances for a win.
Match preview
The "Cossacks" are enduring an extremely tough and challenging season, which has turned into a battle for survival in the Ukrainian top flight. At the moment, the team sits second from bottom in the standings, having collected 29 points in 29 rounds.
They trail the all-important 12th spot by six points, but there’s still a chance to fight for a place in the relegation playoffs. Inhulets are three points behind both Vorskla and Left Bank. In the previous round, Inhulets hosted Shakhtar Donetsk and suffered a 1-4 defeat. Overall, Inhulets have managed just 4 home victories in 14 matches, losing 8 times.
On the other hand, Vorskla could have easily secured at least a playoff spot, and under certain circumstances, guaranteed their survival in the Ukrainian Premier League.
However, Yuriy Maksymov’s men have earned only two points from their last three matches, including a 1-2 home defeat to Chornomorets. In the last round, the Poltava side played out a goalless draw away to LNZ Cherkasy. As a result, this clash with Inhulets becomes a real survival battle for Vorskla, as defeat would see Inhulets leapfrog them in the standings due to a better head-to-head record.
Probable lineups
- Inhulets: Zhilkin A., Dubiley V., Zhovtenko O. Sergeyevich, Malysh S., Katrych V., Losenko I., Faraseyenko V., Volokhatyy R., Pyatov O., Mogilnyy B., Pushkaryov O.
- Vorskla: Isenko P., Krupskyi I., Khripchuk D., Pavlyuk E., Batsula A., Perduta I. (captain), Sklyar A., Kane I., Kulach V., Salabay A., Ndukwe D.
Match facts and head-to-head
- In the first round, Inhulets thrashed their opponents away 3-0
- The "Total over 2.5" bet landed in three of the last five matches
- The "Both teams to score" bet came in just once in the last five games
Prediction
Bookmakers are siding with Vorskla in this encounter, offering odds of 1.88 for a Poltava victory. We believe this match won’t see many goals. Mistakes here could be costly, so both teams are likely to play cautiously. Our recommendation: "Total under 2.0" at odds of 1.67.
