Ukraine vs England prediction, preview, team news and more | UEFA Euro 2020
Saturday evening sees Ukraine face off with England in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Both sides will be desperate to win in order to make it into the semi-finals of Euro 2020, with England not getting that far since 1996 and Ukraine never making it to the semis before.
With both teams carrying plenty of momentum from their wins over Germany and Sweden respectively, this one could be a closer match to call than many expect.
Will it be England or Ukraine who advance into Euro 2020’s semi-finals?
Also Read: Jim Beglin's Column - 5 players who have surprised everyone with their performances at Euro 2020
Ukraine vs England Head-to-Head
Ukraine came through a tricky group that included the Netherlands, Austria and North Macedonia, but hardly did it in impressive fashion.
Andriy Shevchenko’s side actually lost two games, but made the knockout stages with one win as the tournament’s fourth-best third-placed side.
Few fans expected them to overcome Sweden, but with the game tied at 1-1 and Sweden reduced to 10 men, a 121st-minute goal from Artem Dovbyk was enough to propel Ukraine into the quarter-finals.
England fans, meanwhile, were disappointed by their side’s group stage performances, despite Gareth Southgate’s men taking two wins and a draw without conceding a goal.
But Tuesday’s win over Germany was much more impressive. The Three Lions shut down the 2014 World Cup winners and ran out well-deserved winners thanks to goals from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane.
Southgate will now have to ensure his side don’t get caught up in the hype. Ukraine are lower-profile opponents than Germany, but are definitely no less dangerous at this point.
However, this promises to be a tricky match for Ukraine, as their record against England over the years has been relatively poor.
They do have one win over the Three Lions – beating Fabio Capello’s side in a dead-rubber World Cup qualifier in 2009. But they’ve also lost four of their seven meetings, including a 1-0 defeat at Euro 2012.
The last time the sides faced off was in a 2014 World Cup qualifier – and the game finished 0-0.
Ukraine form guide: W-L-W-L-W
England form guide: W-W-D-W-W
Ukraine vs England Team News
Ukraine
Ukraine forward Artem Besedin will miss out on this game following a serious knee injury suffered in the match against Sweden this week. Denys Popov is also out, while star man Andriy Yarmolenko as well as Oleksandr Zubkov are also doubtful.
Injured: Artem Besedin, Denys Popov
Doubtful: Andriy Yarmolenko, Oleksandr Zubkov
Suspended: None
England
England boss Southgate has no injuries to contend with coming into this one, although he may choose to rest Declan Rice and Kieran Trippier after the duo picked up knocks against Germany. Kalvin Phillips and Harry Maguire are also one booking away from suspension.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Ukraine vs England Predicted XI
Ukraine predicted XI (3-5-2): Georgi Bushchan, Illia Zabarnyi, Serhii Kryvtsov, Mykola Matvienko, Oleksandr Karavaev, Mykola Shaparenko, Taras Stepanenko, Serhiy Sydorchuk, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Artem Dovbyk, Roman Yaremchuk
England predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Kalvin Phillips, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane, Jack Grealish
Also Read: David James column - Top 5 favorites to win Euro 2020
Ukraine vs England Prediction
England will come into this match as heavy favorites, but it should be interesting to see how they cope playing away from Wembley for the first time in the tournament.
Ukraine will be a dangerous opponent for them, but they may also be tired after their exertions against Sweden on Tuesday, and their defense didn’t look great during the group stages.
With that in mind, another narrow win for England is the most likely outcome here.
Prediction: Ukraine 0-2 England
Help us improve our previews and prediction section. Take a 30 second survey now.