Spain U21 vs Ukraine U21 prediction: EUROPE: Euro U21 betting tips on match 2023-06-26 18:45.
Both Spain and Ukraine are through to the knockout phase of the 2023 UEFA European U21 Championship with 100% records after two matches, meaning this contest is merely about deciding the winners of Group B as the quarter-final draw begins to take shape. Abel Ruiz’s strike after just 20 seconds against Croatia was all La Rojita needed to claim victory, although manager Santi Denia will be hoping his side can be more clinical on Tuesday after they mustered just four shots on target in their last encounter from 16 overall.
Denia’s men will be aiming to keep a fourth consecutive clean sheet against fellow U21 sides, having shut out Croatia and tournament co-hosts Romania in Group B, as well as keeping France at bay during a friendly in March. Adding another shutout to their collection would ensure they top the group, but they may have loftier ambitions than settling for just the point they need, with 16 different players getting on the scoresheet in their qualification campaign – more than any other nation.
In contrast to Spain’s lightning-quick start in their previous match, Ukraine needed an 89th-minute own goal to secure the three points. Like their upcoming opponents, Ukraine are yet to concede at this Euros and are guaranteed a place in the knockouts for just the second time in their history as an independent nation, with their last post-group stage jaunt coming in 2006 when they finished as runners-up to the Netherlands.
Ukraine’s group stage campaign back in 2006 finished with a flourish as they beat Denmark 2-1, and Ruslan Rotan’s men will need a repeat result if they’re to knock Spain off top spot in Group B. After three H2H games without success (D1, L2), that’s a result that seems unlikely, especially as they bear the psychological scars of losing their final group stage match 3-0 on their last U21 Euro appearance back in 2011 against none other than Spain!
Players to watch: Abel Ruiz was Spain’s top scorer in qualifying for this Euros (seven goals) and enjoyed his best season at club level in 2022/23, netting 12 times for Portuguese club Braga across all competitions, the last five of which arrived before the hour mark. For Ukraine, Oleksiy Kashchuk is likely to be one of his country’s key threats, having scored and assisted in their tournament opener against Croatia whilst accumulating 16 league goals last term for Azerbaijani side Sabah.
Hot streak: Ukraine have scored after half-time in each of their last seven matches.