Ukraine are looking to bounce back from a disappointing defeat in Scotland as they travel to Armenia for a Group B1 fixture in the UEFA Nations League. The Ukrainians need a win to keep their promotion hopes alive and should be too strong for the out of sorts Armenians, who are missing two key experienced players.
Armenia began their campaign in Group B1 of the UNL on a positive note as they claimed a 1-0 victory over Republic of Ireland in their opening fixture. However, it has been all downhill since as they have lost their last three matches.
That poor run of results means Armenia are now bottom of the standings, one point behind Republic of Ireland. After securing back-to-back promotions from League D to B, manager Joaquin Caparros will be keen to avoid suffering a swift relegation down to the third tier.
Armenia suffered a 4-1 home defeat to Scotland in their previous fixture despite taking the lead through Vahan Bichakchyan. Key players Varazdat Haroyan and Eduard Spertsyan both got booked in the match which means they will miss Saturday’s clash due to accumulated yellow cards.
Ukraine were usurped in top spot by Scotland following a 3-0 defeat at Hampden Park earlier in the week. They were second best throughout the encounter and could only manage three attempts on target.
That was the first defeat in the UNL for Ukraine, who began their campaign with two wins and a draw from their first three matches. Oleksandr Petrakov’s men are currently second in the group, two points behind leaders Scotland.
The Ukrainians play Scotland again next week and will look to reclaim control of the group. However, they must avoid falling further behind in the race for promotion by winning on Saturday.
How the bookies view it
Ukraine are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 11/21 by SBK to claim the win. A victory for Armenia is valued at 13/2 by Paddy Power while a draw is set at odds of 3/1 by BetVictor.
Head to head
Ukraine have never lost to Armenia, earning six wins and three draws from nine previous matches. They claimed a 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in June.
Players to watch
Ukraine have been solid at the back and will consider the result in Scotland a blip. Mykola Matvylenko and Oleksandr Karavayev featured at the back in the 3-0 victory over Armenia in the reverse fixture and can lead the team to a clean sheet at 23/20 with BoyleSports.
At the other end of the pitch, Roman Yaremchuk is expected to lead the line for Ukraine. The striker often carries the team’s attacking threat and is priced at 11/8 by Coral to score anytime on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Ukraine earned a win to nil in the reverse fixture with Armenia and could be tipped for a repeat at 5/4 with BetVictor. Having also put three past the Armenians in the first meeting, they could be backed in the -1 handicap market at 7/5 with Paddy Power.
The Ukrainians scored in both halves in the reverse fixture and Saturday’s clash could be backed to follow a similar pattern at 8/5 with Unibet.
This UEFA Nations League match between Armenia and Ukraine will be played on Sep 24, 2022 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Armenia vs Ukraine prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.