Trailing 3-1 in the tie, Belgium host Ukraine in the second leg of their UEFA Nations League playoff at Cegeka Arena. It is a must win game for the hosts, who are looking to put an end to their losing streak, so a high scoring encounter is expected here.
Belgium suffered a crushing 3-1 defeat to Ukraine in the first leg, dealing a setback in their fight to stay in League A. The loss extended their winless streak to six matches in the UNL, suffering five defeats in that run.
Rudi Garcia’s side has been repeatedly exposed at the back, with no clean sheets in their last six matches and conceding 12 goals in that run. They have also suffered two straight home defeats since the 3-1 victory over Israel back in September.
Ukraine faced relatively weaker opposition in 2024 due to their League B status, but they carried their momentum into the first leg, securing that victory over Belgium. Sergiy Rebrov’s men are unbeaten in their last five matches, with three wins in that run.
The Ukrainians have impressed going forward, scoring in each of their last five matches. However, they have shown some vulnerability at the back and are without a clean sheet in their last four fixtures.
How the bookies view it: Belgium overwhelming favourites
Despite their recent struggles, Belgium are still considered favourites among the bookies, with BoyleSports offering odds of 4/9 for a home win. A victory for Ukraine is priced at 5/1 while a draw is valued at 10/3 on BoyleSports.
Head to head: Ukraine on top
Ukraine are unbeaten in the two meetings against Belgium, with a 0-0 draw at Euro 2024 preceding Thursday’s 3-1 victory.
Players to watch: Eyes on Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku extended his all-time scoring record for Belgium to 87 goals with his effort in the first leg. With help from Kevin De Bruyne and Charles De Ketelaere, they can combine to help the hosts produce over 1.5 goals at 11/20 with BoyleSports.
Roman Yaremchuk led the line in the first leg and could be worth keeping an eye on despite not scoring. With support from Viktor Tsygankov and Heorhii Sudakobv, the visitors could be set to produce over 0.5 goals at 8/13 with BoyleSports.
Probable line-ups
Belgium are expected to make a few changes from the first leg, with Wout Faes expected to come into the defence. However, Leandro Trossard, De Bruyne, and Lukaku are expected to keep their spots in the line-up.
Ukraine are expected to remain unchanged from the team that started the reverse fixture with Vitaliy Mykolenko, Illya Zabarnyi, Roman Yaremchuk and Oleksandr Zinchenko all expected to start in the second leg.
Belgium: Courtois, De Cuyper, De Winter, Mechele, Meunier, Debast, Tielemans, Doku, De Bruyne, Trossard, Lukaku
Ukraine: Lunin, Mykolenko, Matvienko, Zabarnyi, Kalyuzhny, Sudakov Sharapenko, Zinchenko, Tsygankov, Yarmolenko
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in Ukraine’s last four matches, including the first leg against Belgium and the trend is expected to continue at 5/6 with BoyleSports. Their last two matches have produced over 2.5 goals, which is priced at 7/10 with BoyleSports, who are also offering 9/5 for over 3.5 goals.
Ukraine’s last four matches have produced a goal in each half, including the reverse fixture and a repeat is expected at 4/6 with BoyleSports.
This UEFA Nations League match between Belgium and Ukraine will be played on and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Belgium vs Ukraine prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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