Ukraine vs Albania Prediction: 7/9/2024

Ukraine has emerged from a rather unusual Euro campaign. Despite earning 4 points, they finished at the bottom of their group, leaving fans with mixed feelings. Group E’s leader, Romania, also ended with 4 points, but Ukraine’s opening 3-0 loss to the Romanians sealed their fate.

A 2-1 victory over Slovakia in their second game wasn’t enough, and a frustrating draw with Belgium, where Ukraine had the better chances, concluded their campaign. Now, this Nations League will serve as a warm-up for the team, which reached the 2006 World Cup quarter-finals, as they aim to qualify for the 2026 tournament in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.

On the other hand, Albania has been steadily gaining recognition in European football. After debuting in Euro 2016, they returned for Euro 2024, putting up a solid performance. Despite a tough 2-1 loss to Italy, they earned a heroic 2-2 draw against Croatia and narrowly lost in their final group match. Now, Albania is setting its sights on qualifying for its first-ever World Cup.

However, Albania’s squad lacks young emerging talent, with only three players under the age of 22, and three others over 23. Veterans like Andriy Yarmolenko (34 years old, 122 caps, 46 goals) and Taras Stepanenko (35 years old, 85 caps, Shakhtar Donetsk) remain key figures. In attack, Artem Dovbyk, who scored 24 goals in 39 matches for Girona, recently caught the attention of AS Roma and will now share the frontline with Roman Yaremchuk (Olympiakos, 53 caps, 16 goals) in a 5-3-2 formation. Oleksandr Zinchenko (66 caps, 9 goals, Arsenal) is another important player for Ukraine, while Karavayev (49 caps, 3 goals) has retired, and Kryvstov (34 caps, Inter Miami) is sidelined due to injury.

Meanwhile, Albania, under coach Sylvinho, appears stronger than ever on paper. In goal, they have former Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha (31 caps), while Serie A players Elseid Hysaj (86 caps) and Berat Djimsiti (Atalanta Bergamo) serve as captain and vice-captain, respectively. However, Armando Broja (23 caps, 5 goals, Everton) is out due to injury, along with third-choice goalkeeper Kastrati. Offensively, Roi Menaj (Sivasspor) has been productive, netting 8 goals across 37 matches.

 

Prediction

Albania has seen little excitement in recent games, with seven of their last eight matches producing two goals or fewer. Similarly, 16 of Ukraine’s last 20 home games have ended with under 2.5 goals. A low-scoring contest is likely expected in this encounter.

Prediction: Ukraine 1-0 Albania