Prediction, Odds & Betting Tips for Ukraine vs. France at World Cup Qualifiers
Prediction, Odds & Betting Tips for Ukraine vs. France at World Cup Qualifiers
Ukraine and France begin the World Cup qualifiers in Poland, where this game is being held, due to the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. This is a handicap for the nominal hosts, but they somewhat adjusted to the current situation as they have already played on neutral venues for the last few years.
Ukraine
During June, Ukraine had two friendly international matches. The first was against Canada, which they lost 4-2. It was an open game where both teams played without pressure, trying to score as many goals as possible. We have to say that the Ukrainians didn’t have their usual competitive approach.
Meanwhile, things changed after they beat New Zealand 2-1. Interestingly, Arsenal’s star Zinchenko scored in both events. He scored against the Kiwis just one minute after coming on the pitch.
These matches took place in the United States, which is something we also need to emphasize. So basically, they didn’t just face the rival’s fans, but also a long trip that saw them travel much longer than usual. This most definitely had an effect on their overall performance.
France
The French team played in the UEFA Nations League final four in June, losing the semifinals to Spain in an incredible match 5-4, but still closed the competition with a win, as they faced the hosts, Germany, in the third-place game.
It was 0-2 for the Gauls, whose attack had been excellent over the last few months. Over the previous five events, this team has scored two or more goals on four occasions.
But when you have Mbappe, Dembele, and other superstars, that’s not strange to be honest. Right now, Deschamps called up Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool’s newest sensation, and we can only imagine the amount of offensive potential this unit has.
Ukraine: Lunin; Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Bondar; Zinchenko, Kalyuzhnyi, Yarmolyuk, Mykhaylenko; Hutsulyak, Sudakov; Yaremchuk
France: Maignan; Pavard, Konate, L. Hernandez, Digne; Tchouameni, Kone, Rabiot; Mbappe, Dembele, Thuram
In the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, these teams met twice, and in both matches the result was the same, 1-1. Prior to that, in 2020, there was a friendly that ended 7-1 in the Gauls’ favor.
The Ukrainian team isn’t very capable of utilizing defensive-minded game plans, as they like to have the ball and dictate the pace. This usually leads to them scoring goals, but also conceding. Ukraine has not recorded a clean sheet in its last 10 games. Meanwhile, France’s attack is incredible, and that’s why we bet on the Gauls to score two or more goals. The difference in French attack and their defensive guards is massive.
Our verdict: France over 1.5 goals