Ukraine – Cyprus : Preview & Prediction
Ukraine and Cyprus face at NSK Olimpijs’kyj, in a friendly. This will be the 3º friendly match of the year for Ukraine, after the previous ones against Northern Ireland and Bahrain. In the case of Cyprus, this will be their 2nd friendly of the year, after the previous friendly against Hungary. There is no record of official clashes between these two teams in the last 3 years. The last clash was on 24-03-2016 and ended with the final score: Ukraine (1‑0) Cyprus. In this match, the home factor can play an important role, as both teams have significant differences in the results achieved at home and as a visitor.
The home team plays its 3rd friendly match of the year. In previous friendlies he has registered the following results: Ukraine (1‑0) Northern Ireland and Ukraine (1‑1) Bahrain. This is a stronger team when they play at their stadium, as in the last 30 matches they register 4 wins, 5 draws and 6 losses in away matches; against 10 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss in their stadium. Ukraine has won 6, tied 3 and lost 1 of the last 10 home matches. The team has conceded goals to its opponent in 8 of the last 10 matches, so their defense needs to improve, but their offense has scored consistently, as they have managed to score in 8 of the last 10 matches.
Ukraine comes for this match after a 1-0 win against Northern Ireland, in a preparatory game for the next official matches: the only goal of the match was scored by Oleksandr Zubkov. In this friendly against Cyprus, Mister Andriy Shevchenko should return to line up his team in 4-3-3 privileging the maintenance of ball possession and the attacks organized by the runners. Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk are the main highlights of the Ukrainian team, being the first athlete very strong in the counterattack and the second very effective in finishing. All players are available for this game.
This will be the 2º friendly match of the year for the visiting team, after the friendly against Hungary, which ended with the final score: Hungary (1‑0) Cyprus. This is a team that usually favors the home factor, stronger when they play with the support of their supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 2 wins, 2 draws and 11 losses in away matches, with a total of 11 goals scored and 28 conceded. At home, they won 4 wins, 4 draws and 7 defeats, with a total of 14 goals scored and 20 conceded. In the last 10 away matches Cyprus has won 2, tied 1 and lost 7. The team has conceded goals in 7 of the last 10 matches, so there are defensive processes that need to be improved. This is a team that rarely scores first and has only opened the scoreboard in 2 of their last 15 matches, of these 2 they reached halftime ahead by 1 and won at the end of the 90′ in 1. In 15 matches, they only managed 1 turn in the scoreboard in 11 games in which they conceded the first goal. In the last 11 away matches for all competitions there is 1 period that stands out: they have conceded 7 of their 20 goals between minutes (31’‑45′).
Cyprus comes unmotivated for this match after the defeat, by 1-0, against Hungary, in a preparatory match for the next official matches. In this friendly against the Ukrainians, coach Nikolaos Kostenoglou should keep the team in 3-4-3, favoring the medium-low block and successive attacks through the corridors. Pieros Sotiriou is the highlight of the Cypriot national team, being very powerful and strong in finishing. All players are available for this clash.
Ukraine – Cyprus : Betting Tips
Ukraine – Win Odds: 1.35
Both teams to score / YES – Odds: 1.70
Over 2.5 Goals – Odds: 1.70
