Ukraine - Northern Ireland: Prediction, Facts, Betting Tips and H2H for the UEFA Nations League - October 2, 2026
Ukraine and Northern Ireland will face each other in a UEFA Nations League matchday 3 clash on Friday, October 2. The game will kick off at 20:45 CET, and I am backing a bet on this encounter.
Ukraine - Northern Ireland: Match Preview
Ukraine have made a fairly solid start to the new UEFA Nations League campaign. The Blue and Yellows beat Hungary 1:0 in the opening round before drawing 0:0 with Georgia. In the previous edition of the UEFA Nations League, Ukraine finished second in the table and earned a chance to gain promotion to League A, but failed to get past Belgium. They beat Belgium 3:1 in the first leg but then lost the return match 0:3. Ukraine also failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup and now have a chance to earn promotion to League A.
Northern Ireland also failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, losing 0:2 to Italy in qualifying. In the previous edition of the UEFA Nations League, Northern Ireland performed very well. The team picked up 11 points from six matches and finished top of the table. They secured first place and earned promotion to the higher division. Their start in this division has been very strong. They beat Georgia 1:0 before drawing 0:0 with Hungary. Four points after two rounds leave them with a strong chance of staying in the division.
Match Facts and H2H
- Ukraine have lost just one of their last five matches.
- Northern Ireland have also lost just one of their last five matches.
- Ukraine beat Northern Ireland 1:0 in their last meeting.
Probable Lineups
- Ukraine: Trubin; Bondar, Sarapii, Mykhavko; Zubkov, Pikhalionok, Nazaryna, Khlan, Mykhailichenko; Sikan, Yaremchuk
- Northern Ireland: Charles; Atcheson, McConville, Brown; Hume, Galbraith, S Charles, Devenny; Price, Donley, Kelly
Prediction
Ukraine and Northern Ireland have both made strong starts to the new UEFA Nations League campaign. I think we will see an interesting match, but not a particularly high-scoring one. I am backing under 2.5 goals.