The Ukraine national team, in soccer terms, has not been around for a very long time. A part of the former Soviet Union, Ukraine only gained its independence during the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1991. Just over 20 years old, Ukraine has recently qualified for its second European Championship by beating Slovenia 3-1 in a two-game playoff.  Ukraine, being the host nation of Euro 2012, didn’t have to qualify for the tournament. Disappointingly, Ukraine bowed out after the group stages of that particular tournament.  [+]

Andriy Shevchenko, Ukraine’s most well known soccer player, holds Ukraine’s goal scoring record with 48. He was prolific during his time at AC Milan, scoring 127 goals in 208 games with the club from 199-2006. 

Ukraine has qualified for one World Cup in its brief tenure as a sovereign nation. Ukraine made the World Cup quarterfinals in 2006, an impressive tournament by most team’s standards. 

The main question is whether or not the Ukrainian’s have what it takes to qualify for the knockout stage in Euro 2016. Group C, as with all Euro Cup groups, is very competitive, but offers Ukraine a chance to get to the round of 16.  

They will play Germany, Northern Ireland and Poland during the group stage. Everyone expects Germany to top the group without breaking much of a sweat, but second place truly is up for grabs. Both Northern Ireland and Poland had impressive qualifying campaigns so Ukraine’s task will not be easy. Northern Ireland, Germany and Poland played in the same qualification group and will now square off in the tournament proper, a rare occurrence in soccer. 

We don’t think Ukraine has what it takes to come out of Group D as one of two automatic qualifiers, but think they might be in with a shot of being one of four top third-place finishers. 

Ukraine Next Game

Expect Ukraine to be competitive in every game they play. Whether it’s a competitive or friendly game, Ukraine is rarely part of lopsided games. 

 

Ukraine Game Schedule

The below schedule can provide a lot of insight if used to its full potential. Look at future games to see where the good potential wagers lie. 

What Are The Current Ukraine Standings

Expect Ukraine to either qualify or narrowly miss qualifying for each and every major tournament. They’ll never be at the bottom of the standings as Ukraine expects so much more from their side. [+]

They compete for every goal and are an extremely resistant side. Ukraine won’t lie down, nor will they give up until the final whistle has been blown. 

 

Contrastingly, they don’t have a good enough team to make it past the quarterfinals of any major tournament. 

Ukraine Online Betting Tips

Ukraine is very solid on home soil, exemplifying this fact by going unbeaten in five Euro 2016 qualifiers at Kiev Stadium. Backed by 70,000 partisan and passionate fans, Ukraine, no matter the opponent, has a good chance of winning in Kiev. 

Kiev’s hostile atmosphere, in combination with sub-zero temperatures in winter, makes traveling to Ukraine a daunting prospect for every team. Away teams are in for a rude awakening upon arriving in Kiev, intangible advantages that even sportsbooks overlook.  

Ukraine scored nine goals at Euro 2016 home qualifiers while conceding only three. 

It’s their road record, as with most middle-tier national teams, that lets them down. Ukraine’s team isn’t skilled enough to compete with most European teams. They rely on fitness, hard graft and uncompromising tackling in most games. Video thumbnail

Ukraine does not possess the ball nearly enough on the road, often using up too much energy in their effort to contain the home team. This problem is exasperated by having to play in enemy territory.

Ukraine has a tendency of conceding an early goal, so look for prop bets that include their opposition opening the scoring in the first half. They failed to score in 4 of 12 Euro 2016 qualifiers. 

Scoring 70% of goals during the final third of the game, we strongly advise considering picking Ukraine to score late.

Andriy Yarmolenko, the Russian-born midfielder, scored 6 of Ukraine’s 19 goals during qualification games. 

Yarmolenko is worth a prop bet for Euro 2016. If, for any reason, Yarmolenko is not playing we strongly recommend staying away from any bets that involve Ukraine scoring more than a goal per game. The 26-year-old attacking midfielder, in other words, is worth his weight in gold.

Ukraine scored just under 1.5 goals per game during Euro 2016 qualifiers. Expect this number, due to opponent’s higher level of play, to decrease to about one goal per game during the tournament itself.  We suspect the only way Ukraine will advance to the knockout stages of Euro 2016 is through back door. They’ll have to be one of the top four third-place teams. 

Don’t expect anymore from this hardworking, if not naturally talented squad. 

Where Can I Bet On Ukraine Online

Ready to bet on Ukraine now? The table below shows all the best online sports betting sites so you can have the pick of the lot. The excitement only ramps up from here!