Italy are still looking for a result to jumpstart their campaign as they host Ukraine in Group C of the European Championship qualifiers. The Italians have not been particularly convincing lately and Ukraine can ensure it is a closely fought encounter on Tuesday.
Italy head into Tuesday’s clash off the back of a 1-1 draw with North Macedonia in their previous qualifying fixture. They opened the scoring just after the restart through Ciro Immobile and looked to be holding on for the win but conceded a late equaliser.
The campaign is not going well for Italy as that result means they have now won just once in three qualifying matches. Luciano Spalletti’s men are currently nine points off the pace in Group C but do have two games in hand due to their involvement in the UEFA Nations League.
The major problem for Italy in recent times is a lack of discipline at the back, finding it hard to keep things tight or hold on to leads as evidenced by the result in North Macedonia. They have kept just one clean sheet in their last seven matches across all competitions.
Ukraine are also coming off a draw as they held out for a 1-1 scoreline with England last time out in the qualifiers. They took the lead just before the break through Oleksandr Zinchenko but were pegged back just before the break.
The Ukrainians are showing some good form in recent times as they have not lost since a 2-1 defeat to England in their opening fixture. It has been two wins and a draw from their last three qualifying fixtures, leaving them second on the table six points behind the Three Lions.
Like Italy, Ukraine have also found it difficult to keep things tight at the back with just one clean sheet in their last five matches across all competitions. Serhiy Rebrov’s men have conceded nine goals in that run with a 3-3 friendly draw in Germany among their results in that run.
How the bookies view it
Italy are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 8/15 by William Hill. A victory for Ukraine is valued at 13/2 by Paddy Power while a draw is set at odds if 3/1 by Unibet.
Head to head
Italy have never lost to Ukraine, claiming six wins and two draws from eight previous matches. The most recent meeting between both teams was a friendly in 2018 which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Players to watch
Ciro Immobile is often the furthest player forward for Italy and got their only goal last time out in North Macedonia. The striker could be worth keeping an eye on to find the net once again at 7/5 with William Hill.
Victor Tsygankov has impressed for Ukraine in recent times, scoring four goals in his last four international appearances. Bet365 is offering odds of 15/2 on the striker to get on the score sheet on Tuesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Italy and Ukraine have not shown much defensive solidity lately and both teams could be backed to score at 6/5 with William Hill. The Italians have seen over 2.5 goals in two of their last three matches and a repeat is priced at evens with 10bet while over 3.5 goals is valued at 13/5 by Paddy Power.
Both teams played out halftime draws in their previous qualifying fixtures and Tuesday’s clash can be set to follow a similar pattern at 11/10 with bet365.
This Euro 2024 match between Italy and Ukraine will be played on Sep 12, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Italy vs Ukraine prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
