Ukraine vs Czech Republic Prediction: 15/10/2024

In the previous Nations League edition, Ukraine came close to earning promotion to League A but ultimately fell behind group leader Scotland. This time around, things have been much tougher for Sergey Rebrov’s side, as they lost their first two group matches last month—1-2 to Albania and 3-2 to the Czech Republic.

Ukraine will look to bounce back on Friday when they face a strong Georgia team, which is aiming for promotion. Ukraine also struggled at the Euros, finishing last in a group where all teams ended with 3 points, losing out due to a worse goal difference against Romania, Belgium, and Slovakia.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic was relegated from League A in the last Nations League, finishing bottom of their group behind Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland. Their start in League B hasn’t been easy either, suffering a heavy 4-1 loss to Georgia on the opening day. However, they recovered a few days later with a 3-2 win over Ukraine. Last June, the Czech team underperformed at the Euros, finishing last in their group with only one point from three matches, trailing behind Portugal, Turkey, and Georgia.

Ukraine will be missing several key players for this match. Notable absences include goalkeeper Lunin (Real Madrid, 13 caps), full-backs Zinchenko (Arsenal, 9 goals in 68 caps) and Mykolenko (Everton, 44 caps), midfielders Pikhalyonok (Dynamo Kyiv, 10 caps) and Brazhko (Dynamo Kyiv, 8 caps), as well as wingers Tsygankov (Girona, 13 goals in 57 caps) and Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kyiv, 46 goals in 124 caps).

However, goalkeeper Trubin (Benfica, 15 caps) will be in goal, supported by strong defenders Zabarnyi (Bournemouth, 41 caps) and Matviienko (Shakhtar Donetsk, 70 caps). In attack, Dovbyk (Roma, 10 goals in 31 caps) and Yaremchuk (Olympiakos, 16 goals in 55 caps) are vying for a starting spot, while rising star Mudryk (Chelsea, 2 goals in 24 caps) is expected to feature on the left wing.

The Czech Republic also has its share of absentees. Defender Hranac (Hoffenheim, 7 caps), midfielder Matej Jurasek (Slavia Prague), and striker Schick (Leverkusen, 20 goals in 42 caps) are unavailable for the October matches. Additionally, players like David Jurasek (Hoffenheim, 11 caps), Barak (Kasimpasa, 11 goals in 44 caps), Sadilek (Twente, 24 caps), and Chytil (Slavia Prague, 6 goals in 17 caps) were not selected by the coach.

However, the Czech team still includes valuable players such as Coufal (West Ham, 47 caps), Soucek (West Ham, 14 goals in 74 caps), and winger Sulc (Plzen, 2 goals in 6 caps), who scored twice in the first leg against Ukraine.

 

Prediction

The Czech Republic has won eight of their last 16 away matches in top-tier competitions, and they seem poised to continue their strong performances. In contrast, Ukraine is facing a tough period in the Nations League, struggling with a ten-game winless streak at home, including six losses.

Prediction: Ukraine 1-2 Czech Republic.