Italy vs Ukraine Match Analysis & Prediction
12/09/2023 9:45 pm
After being held to a draw by North Macedonia in his first game in charge, Italy manager Luciano Spalletti will be looking to secure his first victory of his tenure when his side face Ukraine in Milan on Tuesday.
The visitors head into the Euro 2024 qualifying tie in second place in Group C, while Italy are three points further back in third position, having played a game less.
Facing North Macedonia for the first time since losing 1-0 in last year’s World Cup qualifying playoff, Italy appeared on course to get revenge when their captain Ciro Immobile headed home the opening goal in the 47th minute, but a late Enis Bardhi free-kick ensured the Azzurri left Skopje with just a point on the board.
While Italy’s third-placed finish in the recent edition of the UEFA Nations League has made sure of a playoff spot, they will be desperate to avoid that backup option, and their hopes of qualifying automatically will be boosted if they win on Tuesday to overtake Ukraine into second place.
Although Italy lost to England in their previous home game, that result represented their first home defeat in European Championship qualifying since September 1999, highlighting the success the Azzurri tend to enjoy in front of their own fans.
Since losing 2-0 to England in their opening game of Euro 2024 qualifying, Ukraine have embarked on a positive run of results to collect seven points from three matches and move into second place.
After securing successive victories over North Macedonia and Malta in June, Ukraine returned to action on Saturday with an impressive display against England in Poland, where the designated hosts were playing due to the ongoing war with Russia.
Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko gave his country the lead in the 26th minute when he guided the ball home from Yukhym Konoplya’s cut-back before Kyle Walker equalised in the closing moments of the first half.
With neither side able to find the winner in the second half, Sergiy Rebrov’s side celebrated a crucial point which leaves them in a promising position in Group C, as they bit to reach a fourth successive European Championships.
Italy vs. Ukraine Head to head
In the eight previous meetings between these two teams, Italy have claimed six victories while they have drawn in two. Ukraine have scored three goals and conceded 15 in the process.
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30/06/2006Italy3Ukraine0FIFA World Cup
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07/10/2006Italy2Ukraine0Euros Qualifiers
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12/09/2007Ukraine1Italy2Euros Qualifiers
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29/03/2011Ukraine0Italy2Friendlies
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10/10/2018Italy1Ukraine1Friendlies
Italy Team News
Federico Chiesa and Lorenzo Pellegrini pulled out of the Italy squad prior to Saturday’s draw with North Macedonia, and Spalletti has now been dealt two further injury blows.
Roma defender Gianluca Mancini and Napoli attacker Matteo Politano have both left the camp due to thigh and calf problems respectively.
Italy's Last 5 Matches
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23/03/2023Italy1England2Euros Qualifiers
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26/03/2023Malta0Italy2Euros Qualifiers
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15/06/2023Spain2Italy1UEFA Nations League
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18/06/2023Netherlands2Italy3UEFA Nations League
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09/09/2023North Macedonia1Italy1Euros Qualifiers
Ukraine Team News
Ukraine’s Nikolai Matvienko is a doubt for Tuesday’s contest after being forced off at half time against England due to an injury issue.
Inter Miami’s Sergiy Kryvstov replaced Matvienko on Saturday, and he could be handed a starting opportunity if the Shakhtar Donetsk defender is unable to feature in Milan.
Ukraine's Last 5 Matches
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26/03/2023England2Ukraine0Euros Qualifiers
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12/06/2023Germany3Ukraine3Friendlies
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16/06/2023North Macedonia2Ukraine3Euros Qualifiers
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19/06/2023Ukraine1Malta0Euros Qualifiers
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09/09/2023Ukraine1England1Euros Qualifiers
Italy vs. Ukraine: Odds and Predictions
Main Prediction
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