Ukraine and Northern Ireland both travel to Lyon hoping to kick start their tournaments after failing to pick up a point in their opening matches of the tournament.
Having entered Euro 2016 hoping to improve their disappointing home campaign in the prior iteration, Ukraine got off to the worst possible start going down 2-0 to one of the tournament favourites Germany. Goals from Shkodran Mustafi and Bastian Schweinsteiger sunk the Ukrainians either side of halftime.
Competing at their first European Championship, Northern Ireland fell to Poland thanks to a goal from Ajax’s Arkadiusz Milik. The Northern Irish will need a more settled start this time around after the loss ended their 12-match undefeated run.
Key Battle – Yevhen Konoplyanka vs Kyle Lafferty
Despite not being a direct match-up throughout the game, the pair will have a big say on which way the result goes comes full time on Friday morning.
Sevilla’s Yevhen Konoplyanka may have not been at his dangerous best against Germany, but he did show glimpses of his true talent. Alongside Andriy Yarmolenko, the pair could give the fullbacks a torrid time right throughout the match. If the 26-year-old is at the top of the game, he has the ability to swing the game in his team’s favour in a heartbeat.
Playing as a lone striker against the Polish, Lafferty struggled to insert himself into the game often being found dropping back to help defend. The Norwich forward, who finished as his nation’s top scorer during qualifying, should see more of the ball in this match in-and-around the 18-yard box and if given the chance he is sure to make the most of it.
Team News
Ukraine are expected to stick with their traditional 4-2-3-1 formation, which has worked so well for them over the years. Mykhaylo Fomenko may look to add more experience to the lineup as they look to get their campaign back on track.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill is expected to have a full squad to choose from with no injuries or suspensions coming out of the Poland game. Giving more help to Lafferty up front may see the likes of Will Grigg called into the starting lineup.
Head-to-head
The pair have only featured in four games against one another, with Northern Ireland failing to win any of those outings. The current record sees two wins and two draws, with Northern Ireland’s manager having featured in a 1-0 loss during his time as a player against Ukraine.
Previous meeting
This match will see the pair meet for the first time since the qualifying rounds for the 2004 Euro Tournament held in Portugal. In that encounter both sides failed to find the back of the net – resulting in a scoreless draw.
Prediction
With both sides already three points behind the top two in the group, this match remains a must win and the loser will already be halfway home with a game left to play. The Ukrainians have shown they have the ability to break down their opponents on the counter-attack in their opening game against Germany and will be hoping this translate into the second group game. Northern Ireland’s defence, led by Jonny Evans, will once again be tested – but they have stood tall in recent games, having only conceded one goal in their past four displays. The next 90 minutes is sure to make and break the two nation’s tournaments wide open, or slam the door in their faces. With so much at stake we are sure to get an exciting match of football.
Ukraine 2 Northern Ireland 1
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