Ukraine v Poland, Tuesday June 21
Marseilles, Live on BBC4, 5pm
Group C concludes on Tuesday afternoon when Northern Ireland meet Germany in Paris and when Ukraine play Poland at the Stade Velodrome in Marseilles (5pm, live on BBC4).
Ukraine – the story so far
For Ukraine there is nothing more to play for as two defeats have left them in bottom place, and though they could finish level on points with Northern Ireland in Group C, a 0-2 defeat in the match between the two sides means their head-to-head record will keep them bottom of the group regardless of the other result in the group.
Having lost their first two matches, Ukrainian boss Mykhaylo Fomenko may chose to rotate his squad to give competition experience to some of the younger members of his squad. You can expect to see a younger, rawer side on Tuesday night, the FC Ufa midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko and Shaktar’s 20 year old Viktor Kovalenko could both be in line to make their first starts of the tournament.
Poland – the story so far
Poland know that a win will give them the best chance of topping group C. If they win and Germany fail to beat Northern Ireland then they will definitely finish in first place. If they win and Germany also beat Northern Ireland then the “most goals scored” tie break will determine the final positions in the group (Poland drew 0-0 with Germany in the head to head). Currently Germany have scored one more than the Poles, so it is in Poland’s interests to win and win handsomely, in order to give themselves the best chance of topping the group.
Poland’s Arkadiusz Milik has looked a constant threat in the tournament to date, benefitting from the additional attention that his teammate Robert Lewandowski is currently being given. The Swansea keeper Lucas Flappyhandski once again looks set to deputise for the injured Wojciech Szczesny who is still struggling to shake off a thigh injury.
With nothing to lose for either team in this one, you can expect a decent match. Poland will be looking for goals and Ukraine will be looking to avoid being booed off the plane when they land back at Kiev airport. Both teams should have a go, and it promises to be one of Euro 2016’s more entertaining matches.
Recommended bets
- A goal to be scored in both halves @
- Over 3.5 goals @
- Arkadiusz Milik to score 2 or more goals @
- View the full match betting market here!
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