Ukraine vs Malta prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-06-18 16:00.
After squandering a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 against Germany in a friendly earlier this month, Ukraine came from 2-0 down in their most recent outing against North Macedonia to emerge 3-2 victors and get their first European Championship Qualifying (ECQ) win of the campaign following a 2-0 loss to England in March. However, new boss Serhiy Rebrov will have already learnt after two games in charge that the side must improve defensively, as The Blue and Yellow conceded at least two goals in back-to-back games for the first time since September 2021.
Rebrov will nonetheless have been heartened by the key role Mykhailo Mudryk played in his team’s turnaround on Friday night following his tough start at Chelsea, with the attacker providing the equaliser for Yukhym Konoplya before a glorious ball over the top was headed home by Viktor Tsygankov for the winner on 83 minutes.
Malta might not be the most fearsome upcoming opponent for the Eastern Europeans, but the islanders did win their only previous H2H 1-0 in 2017. The 4-0 defeat to England on Friday – which compounded ECQ losses to North Macedonia and Italy in March – was almost inevitable given the huge gulf in FIFA rankings (172nd to fifth), but Michele Marcolini’s men perhaps deserve credit for only conceding once in the last hour of the contest after going 3-0 down inside 31 minutes.
Results in the last 12 months have also inspired confidence as Malta have beaten Israel and Luxembourg, whilst also drawing against Greece in that time – all countries ranked inside FIFA’s top 100 at the time of their respective meetings. However, the last time they avoided defeat a nation higher-ranked than Ukraine (30th) was way back in February 2011 in a goalless friendly draw with Switzerland, which raises doubts over whether the Falcons can rise to rare heights in Trnava, the neutral venue in Slovakia for Monday’s match.
Players to watch: Ukraine's Viktor Tsygankov has four goal involvements in his last two internationals, scoring three times and producing one assist. Zach Muscat, meanwhile, scored the winner for Malta in that 1-0 win over Ukraine and while he has only scored twice for his country since then, those efforts have proved significant, helping secure a draw against Cyprus and a win over San Marino.
Hot stat: Ukraine have failed to score a first-half goal in their last four games as the designated home team (W1, D3).