Czech Republic vs Ukraine prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League B betting tips on match 2024-09-09 18:45.
[p]After enduring their worst-ever European Championships as an independent nation this summer when failing to pick up a single win en route to their group stage elimination (D1, L2), it’s fair to say the Czech Republic’s 4-1 defeat against Georgia to start their UEFA Nations League (UNL) campaign in Group B1 was a far from ideal start in their quest to restore some national pride. [/p]
[p]In truth, it’s not been a great few years for the home side who also lost four of their six UNL matches in the last cycle, albeit in League A. That makes it five defeats in the last seven UNL matches for the Czechs (W1, D1), but their subsequent relegation to Group B might lead to a positive change in form within the competition despite what that Georgia result may suggest. Some further hope may come from the fact they’re back on home soil here, having won both previous outings during manager Ivan Hašek’s tenure.[/p]
[p]Ukraine are getting ready for back-to-back Prague games as they lost 2-1 to Albania in Czech capital in their UNL opener on Saturday. Unlike their opponents, it was only their second defeat across their last seven UNL matches (W3, D2), with Ukraine also winning both H2Hs in this competition in its inaugural 2018/19 campaign, which saw them top their group and advance to League A. [/p]
[p]Playing away from home has become a routine for Ukraine over the last few years and they’ve adapted well given the fact Sergiy Rebrov’s men also qualified for the recent European championship. The last time they suffered back-to-back defeats was back in 2020, so history suggests we could see them bounce back here, although it should be noted Ukraine netted the opener just twice in their last ten matches, so they don’t tend to start fast.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: With four goal contributions (G3, A1) across his last seven club appearances, Czech Republic’s Tomáš Chorý looks set to be a threat, especially in the early stages as each of his three goals for Slavia Prague came before the 50th minute. In contrast, opponent Roman Yaremchuk tends to come alive as the game wears on, with three of his last four goals for club side Olympiacos arriving on or after the 79th minute. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: There have been 11 goals scored on or beyond the 60th minute across the last five Czech Republic matches.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Tomáš Vlasák[/i][/p]