Slovakia and Ukraine had contrasting starts to their Euro 2024 campaign. Despite being +600 underdogs, the Slovaks beat Belgium 1:0 in the opening round. The same day, -105 favorite Ukraine suffered a humiliating 3:0 loss to Romania.
Confidence is high in the Slovakia locker room ahead of Friday’s duel with Ukraine, which needs to go all-in to get at least a point. All this promises an exciting duel at Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf. But which team will win? Keep reading our Slovakia vs. Ukraine preview to reveal our top betting picks.
Before Betting on Slovakia vs. Ukraine
Slovakia is the team responsible for the biggest upset in the first round of the Euro 2024. The Falcons beat Belgium 1:0, which is a great result, but not even their most passionate fans can say it was deserved. Belgium had significantly more chances in that game, with two of Romelu Lukaku’s goals being disallowed.
When it comes to Ukraine, the Blue and Yellow lost 3:0 by Romania, but it wasn’t as horrible as the scoreboard might suggest. Ukraine had more goal attempts than Romania and had the ball in its possession for two-thirds of the time.
The Ukrainians weren’t too horrible, but they will need to do much better if they wish to stay in the competition for the knockout phase. Given that in the final round of the group phase they play against Belgium, the match with Slovakia is a must-win for these guys.
Slovakia vs. Ukraine Offshore Odds & Pick
Our Slovakia vs. Ukraine prediction is that the Slovaks will defend throughout the game. The Ukrainians will have the ball in their possession for most of the 90 minutes, creating probably 20 or more goal attempts. But will they be able to find the net?
They didn’t do it against Romania, but they do have some amazing forwards on the roster. The best example is Girona’s Artem Dovbyk, who won the Trofeo Pichichi for scoring the most goals in the last season of the Spanish La Liga.
Pick: Ukraine
