Northern Ireland will look to continue their unbeaten start to their UEFA Nations League campaign when they travel to face Ukraine on Friday at the City Arena in Trnava.
Ukraine vs Northern Ireland – Match preview and team news
- Date: Friday, 2nd October.
- Kick-off: 7:45pm BST.
- Venue: City Arena, Trnava.
Ukraine team news
Andrea Maldera will be without the services of defender Vitaliy Mykolenko, who has been ruled out of the clash after reporting that he is not feeling well.
Maldera opted to rest the full-back to prevent any further aggravation of an existing minor issue. After executing ten wholesale changes to the starting squad in their previous goalless draw against Georgia, the Blue and Yellow are expected to implement mass rotations once again.
This time, Ukraine will likely bring back the bulk of their primary first-team regular starters to the lineup. Among the anticipated changes, experienced forwards Roman Yaremchuk and Danylo Sikan are both heavily pushing for recalls to spearhead the frontline.
The duo is expected to inject much-needed attacking potency as Ukraine looks to field a highly competitive, full-strength side to secure three crucial points in this Nations League encounter.
Northern Ireland team news
Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill is dealing with a significant defensive setback as Dan Ballard remains a massive doubt for tonight’s match.
Ballard is expected to miss out due to an injury he sustained in the previous fixture against Georgia, leaving his availability highly touch-and-go right up until kick-off.
Despite this potential absence, O’Neill noted that the rest of his squad is in “good shape” following their recent performances.
Consequently, the manager is heavily tipped to field an unchanged starting eleven from the team that fought out a gritty 0-0 draw against Hungary earlier in the week. By sticking with the same core tactical framework, Northern Ireland aims to maintain defensive stability and continuity.
They will rely on the young midfield partnership of Shea Charles and Ethan Galbraith to anchor the team and dictate the tempo in Slovakia.
Form
Ukraine
Ukraine enters the match in strong form, remaining unbeaten in their opening matches of the Nations League B campaign. They kicked off their group stage with a narrow 1-0 victory over Hungary. Following that up, a heavily rotated Ukrainian side secured a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Georgia. With four points from their first two fixtures, the Blue and Yellow currently sit level at the top of the Group B standings.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland matches their opponents’ momentum with an identical unbeaten start in Group B. They opened their campaign with an impressive 1-0 away victory against Georgia. Michael O’Neill’s side then backed up that performance by grinding out a structured 0-0 draw against Hungary. Also sitting comfortably on four points, they are tied for the top spot, making tonight’s clash a pivotal battle for sole group leadership.
Predicted lineups
Ukraine: Trubin; Bondar, Sarapii, Mykhavko; Zubkov, Pikhalionok, Nazaryna, Khlan, Mykhailichenko; Sikan, Yaremchuk
Northern Ireland: P Charles; Atcheson, McConville, Brown; Hume, Galbraith, S Charles, Devenny; Price, Donley, Kelly
How to watch Ukraine vs Northern Ireland?
You can watch Ukraine vs Northern Ireland live on free-to-air TV on BBC Two and BBC Two NI.
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