Our prediction for this Nations League match:
Adjarabet Arena will be the centre of attention when Georgia and Ukraine take on each other in the UEFA Nations League round 5. The Georgians continue relying on Napoli ace Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is likely to prove a handful for the opposition back-line, while APOEL defender Lasha Dvali serves a one-game ban. The Ukrainians, on the other hand, head into Friday’s clash following a 1-1 draw with Czech Republic.
As both sides aim to keep their promotion hopes alive, we believe that there is a big value in betting on both teams to score. Girona ace Viktor Tsygankov remains on the sidelines with injury and, in his absence, a man to watch in the away team will be Artem Dovbyk, who has netted six goals for AS Roma in all competitions so far this season. Arsenal man Oleksandr Zinchenko made the cut as well.
Highlighted Team (Ukraine):
After the country had gained independence from the Soviet Union, Ukraine played their first international match in 1992, and they have come a long way since. Zbirna have only once played at the World Cup finals so far, and they did really well to reach the quarter-finals in 2006, while they co-hosted the Euro 2012 with Poland, albeit failing to get past the group stage.
The generation that secured qualification for the Euro 2016 finals in France is arguably the most talented ever, with Yevhen Konoplyanka, Andriy Yarmolenko, Ruslan Rotan and Roman Zozulya the leading players, but plenty more talent present in Mikhail Fomenko’s squad.
Similar to the trademark style of former Soviet teams, Ukraine bases their tactics on rock-solid defence and swift counter-attacks, but it has to be noted that Zbirna possess a lot more technical skills and attacking potential than most other former Russian republics. Everything suggests that the most successful period in the history of the national team is ahead of them.