Scotland and Ukraine are scheduled to meet one another in the UEFA Nations League on Wednesday, less than four months after they competed against one another in the playoffs for the World Cup.
Although they now occupy the top two places in League B Group 1 and have a game in hand over the other two nations in the group, in the end, they were not chosen to compete in Qatar 2022.
Match Preview: Scotland vs Ukraine
Scotland began their Nations League campaign in the summer by winning all three of its opening matches. Steve Clarke’s squad is second in League B Group 1, one point behind Ukraine and two ahead of Ireland.
Scotland’s Nations League hopes will be determined next week when they play Ukraine twice and Ireland once. The Tartan Army won their last six games of 2021, although they’ve only won two of their past six, both against Armenia.
Both Glasgow clubs are in the Champions League this season, while the national team just returned from Euro 2020. Clarke’s men will be hungry to gather momentum and have a successful fall. Wednesday and next Tuesday in Krakow, Ukraine will block Scotland’s route to Qatar. Wales beat Ukraine in the Qatar playoff final.
Since Ukrayinska Premier Liha’s December break, no competitive football has been played. Russian invasion ended play in late February. All league games in Kyiv and further west have started despite the threats.
Top Ukrainian clubs have restarted European competition with fresh, non-international players. Oleksandr Petrakov’s side hasn’t lost in Nations League. Stephen Kenny’s team just beat Ireland and Armenia in Lodz.
Nathan Collins’ opener kept Ukraine in top position in League B Group 1 with seven points. After being booted from League A under questionable circumstances (their decisive match against Switzerland was postponed due to COVID-19), Ukraine will be determined this week.
Team News: Scotland vs Ukraine
Kieran Tierney, formerly of Celtic, has returned to Arsenal in time to play on the left wing for the hosts in place of Andy Robertson, who will miss all three of Scotland’s games this month due to injury.
Ryan Fraser, a winger for Newcastle United, has also been called up by Steve Clarke after he was first reported to be injured but afterward seen at club practice.
John Souttar and Liam Cooper’s injuries have led to Hibernian center defender Ryan Porteous getting his first call-up. Ryan Jack and Kenny McLean have returned from long-term ailments to compete for starting roles in the midfield.
Despite seeing little action this season, Billy Gilmour, Jack Hendry, and Anthony Ralston are all viable options.
While Scotland will be without Robertson, Ukraine will be without another prominent left foot in Oleksandr Zinchenko. He recently suffered a calf injury in training and may not return to duty until next month.
Mykola Shaparenko, another player for Dynamo Kyiv, also had a torn ACL after being hurt in an earlier Europa League match this month, this one against Fenerbahce.
Mykhaylo Mudryk, a rising star for Shakhtar Donetsk, and Andriy Yarmolenko, the team’s captain, are both on a roster full of recognized faces and should start in support of Roman Yaremchuk or Artem Dovbyk.
- Potential Scotland Starting XI: Gordon, Hendry, Hanley, McKenna, Patterson, McGinn, McGregor, Tierney, Fraser, Adams, Christie.
- Ukraine’s Potential Opening Day Lineup: Lunin, Karavayev, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Mykolenko, Kovalenko, Sydorchuk, Malinovskyi, Yarmolenko, Yaremchuk, Mudryk.
Our Prediction: Scotland 1-2 Ukraine
The return to a sense of “normalcy” has made it possible for the players who are stationed in Ukraine to prepare themselves physically for competition.
They will also be prepared to impose their play style on a Scotland squad that has had some difficulty over the course of the previous year.
Scotland’s national team has battled a little bit over the course of the previous year. The performance of Scotland throughout the course of the last year has been inconsistent.
The visitors have a chance to stay on track for a promotion to the top level of the Nations League if they score twice and win all three points from their play at Hampden. The visitors have the potential to score twice and win all three points from the match.