Spain U21 vs Ukraine U21
, KO: 19:45 Jun 27, 2023, Superbet Arena
It is a battle for supremacy in Group B of the European U21 Championships as Spain square off against Ukraine. Both teams have a 100% record so far in the competition and should serve up a closely fought encounter, but the Spaniards’ class and superior quality should give them the edge.
It has been an impressive U21 campaign for Spain as they have won their two matches so far in the competition. They began by swatting aside co-hosts Romania 3-0 before edging out a 1-0 victory over Ukraine in their second fixture.
Spain are known for their attacking quality and have already scored four goals in two matches at the continental tournament. However, their defence has really caught the eye in Romania as they are yet to concede a goal after two fixtures.
The Spaniards did not just kick into high gear in this competition as they have been in good form for a while. Santi Denia’s men are unbeaten in their last 15 matches, claiming 13 wins that run which stretches back to September 2021.
Ukraine have also shown their quality in the competition and like the Spaniards, won their opening two matches. They began their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Croatia before picking up a 1-0 win over Romania last time out.
Another similarity with Spain is that Ukraine have also maintained their defensive discipline in the competition and are yet to concede a goal after two matches. However, Ruslan Rotan's men are second on the standings having scored fewer goals and need an outright win on Tuesday to finish top of the group.
Ukraine had also been in good form in the build-up to the competition and are now unbeaten in eight of their last 10 matches. However, there have been only five wins in that run which has come against lower ranked teams, while were beaten 3-1 by Italy and also suffered a 3-2 defeat to Slovakia in that run.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have Spain as overwhelming favourites with a win priced at 8/11 by Unibet. A victory for Ukraine is valued at 9/2 with bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 3/1 by 10bet.
Head to head
Spain won the only previous meeting with Ukraine at this level as they claimed a 3-1 victory during the 2011 European U21 Championships.
Players to watch
Abel Ruiz showed his quality by netting the only goal in the win over Romania and will be the one to watch for Spain on Tuesday. The Sporting Braga forward is priced at 23/10 by William Hill to get on the score sheet once again.
Spain have also impressed at the back even before the start of the tournament and have kept clean sheets in five of their last seven matches. Jon Pacheco and Aitor Paredes have formed a solid central defensive partnership and can lead the Spaniards to another clean sheet at 5/4 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given the defensive showings of both teams in this competition, there are likely to be few goals on Tuesday. Under 2.5 goals is priced at evens with Unibet while BetVictor is offering odds of 21/20 on BTTS NO.
Spain have won to nil in five of their last seven matches across all competitions and can be set for a similar outcome on Tuesday at 41/20 with Unibet.
This match between Spain U21 and Ukraine U21 will be played on Jun 27, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Spain U21 vs Ukraine U21 prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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