England will be looking to continue their flawless Euro 2024 qualification campaign as they take on Ukraine this weekend. Having won four from four, scored fifteen, and only conceded one goal, England are making qualification look easy. However, Ukraine sit second in the table and are also looking to confirm qualification. Along with Italy, this will be the toughest test for Southgate’s men; with qualification in sight, it’s game heads on for this one.
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Ukraine vs England Preview
“It’s coming home, it’s coming home, it’s coming, football’s coming home!” Wait, no, not yet. We’ve done this one before. England cruise their way through qualification, then all of a sudden, we’re dumped out. As they say, it’s the hope that kills you. But as an imperious England march their way towards the finals in Germany, it’s impossible not to dream of major tournament glory… again.
Sometimes it can be hard to read into qualification too much. Obviously, you’d rather be on top and beating what’s in front of you. However, with all due respect, North Macedonia and Malta aren’t the greatest sides. It can be frustrating for England fans, beating these sorts of sides convincingly, but struggling against better opposition. But Southgate will take solace in the perfect record, as will England fans.
The bar continues to rise, and really for England, with the talent and quality they have, the goal is glory and finishing with a trophy. Anything less would be slightly disappointing. It sounds ridiculous, but after finishing 2nd and getting knocked out in the semi-finals at the last two major tournaments, the bar has risen considerably for Gareth Southgate.
The squad has been widely debated as usual, and there are plenty of interesting picks; Harry Maguire’s inclusion being slightly bizarre given his current form and lack of game time with Manchester United. Has Southgate’s loyalty gone too far on this one? I think so. Another interesting inclusion is Trent Alexander-Arnold as a midfielder. With his many options at right back, Southgate has opted to play the Liverpool star much higher up the field, and it looks like they have found a role for him within this England setup. It could be a stroke of genius, making up for his defensive deficiencies, while getting the most out of his attacking talent.
However, Ukraine has plenty of quality of their own. The game will be played in Poland, so it’ll feel a little like a neutral venue for the travelling England side. Unfortunately for Ukraine, they may not get their home crowd boost. However, the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Mykhailo Mudryk will be hoping to cause an upset having beaten both Malta and North Macedonia. Qualification is well within reach.
Ukraine vs England Odds
England, as previously mentioned, have a perfect record thus far in qualification. The onus is on England (1.37) to push on and make it another victory and ensure qualification. Ukraine are expectedly underdogs (7.00), with the draw at 4.00.
Unsurprisingly, Harry Kane is favourite to open up the scoring in this one at 4.50, with Callum Wilson (5.90), Eddie Nketiah (6.00) and Marcus Rashford (7.20) following. As a free-scoring team, England are 2.05 to score twice or more, and Ukraine are at 3.25 to nick a goal themselves.
Betting Tips
England over 2.5 goals @ 2.70
What could possibly go wrong? England have been on top and their range of amazing attacking players, including an in-form Harry Kane, could spell trouble for Ukraine.
England to win, over 2.5 goals, and Harry Kane to score anytime @ 3.00
If anyone’s going to grab a goal, it’s Kane. Having lit it up early on in his Bayern career, the bagsman will see the opportunity for more here in Poland. You can’t see an upset coming in this one.
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