IRELAND and Ukraine suffered different degrees of disappointment over the weekend and meet in a Nations League encounter in Dublin.
For the hosts. they suffered a truly depressing 1-0 loss in Armenia against a side who had been hammered 9-0 in their last game in Norway.
Any previous signs that the Irish might be making slow progress under Stephen Kenny seemed to have evaporated in the boiling conditions in Yerevan.
For all the Irish possession, they produced precious little attacking creativity of note and it was the worst possible start to their Nations League campaign against a side currently 92nd in the FIFA rankings.
But that probably paled into insignificance compared with the heartbreak suffered by the Ukrainians in Cardiff.
Despite looking the better side for large chunks of the game, the war-torn region couldn't convert their many chances and went down to a painful 1-0 defeat to Wales to end their World Cup dream.
The Welsh were nowhere near as generous as Scotland had been and were just too stubborn for Ukraine to get past as they made history.
The question will be what have Ukraine got left in the tank after such a gut-wrenching defeat.
How the bookies view it
Ireland are as short as 5/4 in places, but can be backed at 29/20 at SBK. Ukraine are 9/4 outsiders with Paddy Power. The draw is 21/10 with Betfred.
Recent head to heads
The two nations have never met before. Here's footage of Ireland going down in Yerevan to the Armenians on Saturday.
Players to watch
West Browm striker Callum Robinson has netted 14 goals this season although he couldn't find the net in Armenia. He is 5/2 with bet365 to score in Dublin.
Dnipro striker Artem Dovbyk came off the bench to finish Scotland off last week and he could well get the nod to start at the Aviva Stadium. He is 3/1 to net with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both sides will be eager to bounce back, but this could easily end in a stalemate and a low-scoring one at that.
In normal circumstances, the value would be on the visitors, but it will take a big ask for them to lift themselves after the crushing disappointment of Cardiff.
The Irish, led by the hapless Stephen Kenny, appear to be stagnating at best and they have also lost the fear that playing at the Aviva used to give opponents.
They have won just two of their last 11 home games and they were against Qatar and Lithuania.
You rarely get many goals where Ireland are concerned and it could pay to go for the 16/9 price with SBK on under 1.5 goals.
This UEFA Nations League match between Ireland and Ukraine will be played on Jun 8, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Ireland vs Ukraine prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
