The opponents have played against each other before, but those were completely different generations. Croatia is slightly favored here, although we believe that the chances of success for both teams are roughly equal.
Ukraine U21
The Ukrainian national team found themselves in a challenging qualification group for the U21 European Championship, competing for a spot in the tournament against France, Serbia, the Faroe Islands, North Macedonia, and Armenia. In the end, Ruslan Rotan’s team finished second, only three points behind France. As a result, Ukraine had to play in the playoffs, facing Slovakia, whom the “yellow-blue” team lost to 2-3 in the away leg. However, in the return match, thanks to Danil Sikana’s hat-trick, Ukraine won 3-0 and secured their place in the Euro.
Read also: Spain U21 vs Croatia U21.
Croatia U21
The Croatian national team also failed to win their qualifying group. Dragan Sko?i?’s team finished second, falling two points behind Norway in the competition for a direct qualification spot for the Euro. In the playoffs, the “checkered” team faced Denmark, not considered favorites in the matchup. Both matches ended in draws, and Croatia secured their place in Georgia and Romania only through a penalty shootout.
Read also: Real Sociedad vs Mallorca.
Prediction
Our expert pick:
The Ukrainian national team plays an attacking style of football and scores a lot of goals under Ruslan Rotan. In each of their last 16 matches, the Ukrainians have consistently found the back of the net. It's evident that today's focus will be on the attack, led by the goal-scoring forward Daniil Sikana, supported by Georgiy Sudakov from Shakhtar Donetsk and Mykhailo Mudryk from Chelsea. Their attacking lineup is more than capable. However, defensively, Ukraine is vulnerable, and Croatia also has its strengths. Dion Belay broke into the Augsburg starting lineup last season and scored goals in the Bundesliga. They also have talented creative players like Gabriel Vidovi? and Martin Baturina, who were key players for Vitesse and Dinamo Zagreb, respectively. Goals are likely to be scored in such a match. We believe that there will be goals in the game. Our prediction is both teams to score. This outcome is offered with odds of 1.88 at 1xBet. Despite having some prominent names in their squad, the Ukrainian national team can hardly be considered the favorite in this match. It would be naive to think that Mikhail Mudryk, who has spent most of his time on the bench at Chelsea, will have a significant impact on the result. Croatia also boasts a solid lineup with representation in the top European leagues. Unlike their Ukrainian counterparts, the Croatians regularly play and progress in those leagues. Their victory in the playoff against a strong Denmark speaks volumes. It makes sense to give preference to Croatia, although it won't be an easy match for them. Our bet is an Asian handicap (0) on Croatia, offered at odds of 1.61. Place a bet with
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