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Ukraine and Italy will lock horns for a huge Euro 2024 qualification match on Monday, with both teams battling to secure second spot in Group C and a spot in next summer’s European Championship.
Italy are currently second in the section and will qualify if they avoid defeat to Ukraine, but the hosts would book their spot in the finals with a victory over the Blues.
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Just one point from their two Euro 2024 qualification matches in September against England and Italy put Ukraine at a disadvantage in the section, but they responded impressively in October, beating both North Macedonia and Malta to move onto 13 points in Group C.
Serhiy Rebrov‘s side are third in the section but level on points with Italy, so a victory on Monday evening would see them claim the runners-up spot behind England and an automatic spot at Euro 2024.
Ukraine’s hopes of being at the tournament would not end if they were unable to beat Italy, as they are well-placed for a playoff in UEFA Nations League B, but that has not yet been guaranteed.
The Blue and Yellows were not present at the finals of the 2022 World Cup, but they did qualify for Euro 2020, reaching the quarter-finals of the competition, losing 4-0 to England in the final eight.
Ukraine have never beaten Italy in an international match, losing seven of their previous nine meetings, including a 2-1 reverse when the two teams locked horns in Group C in September.
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Italy, as mentioned, will qualify for Euro 2024 with a win or a draw against Ukraine, but if they fail to finish in the top two, the Blues are assured of a UEFA Nations League A playoff spot.
Luciano Spalletti‘s side suffered a 3-1 defeat to England last month, but they were back to winning ways on Friday evening, recording a 5-2 victory over North Macedonia to gain control of second position.
The Blues were three goals ahead against North Macedonia in Rome before the visitors made it 3-2 in the 74th minute, but the hosts went on to score twice more in the latter stages to secure all three points.
Italy are the reigning European champions, beating England on penalties to win Euro 2020, which proved to be their second success in the tournament, following on from 1968.
Gli Azzurri have incredibly not qualified for the last two World Cup finals, though, while their campaigns in both 2010 and 2014 ended in the group stage, so it has been a tough period for the national side at world level since securing the trophy in Germany back in 2006.
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Ukraine are expected to have Artem Dovbyk at the tip of their attack, with the 26-year-old, who plays for La Liga leaders Girona, boasting seven international goals.
Chelsea’s Mykhaylo Mudryk is also set to be included in a forward area, while Yukhym Konoplya could potentially be used further forward to provide some protection on the right.
Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko is the captain, and he will feature in central midfield, while there should also be spots in the side for fellow Premier League players Vitalii Mykolenko and Illya Zabarnyi, who represent Everton and Bournemouth respectively.
As for Italy, head coach Spalletti could select the same XI that took to the field for the first whistle against North Macedonia on Friday night, providing that there are no fitness problems in the build-up to this game.
Federico Chiesa scored twice and should continue on the left, with Domenico Berardi and Giacomo Raspadori also set to feature in the final third of the field.
Nicolo Barella, Jorginho and Giacomo Bonaventura were the midfield three last time out and should continue in the side, although Nicolo Zaniolo and Davide Frattesi are options if Spalletti decides to freshen it up.
Ukraine possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Karavaev, Zabarnyi, Matvienko, Mykolenko; Sydorchuk, Zinchenko; Konoplya, Sudakov, Mudryk; Dovbyk
Italy possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Darmian, Gatti, Acerbi, Dimarco; Barella, Jorginho, Bonaventura; Berardi, Raspadori, Chiesa
This has all of the makings of a fascinating contest, and we are expecting there to be some twists and turns along the way, but Italy should get the result that they need to automatically qualify for Euro 2024, with Ukraine then potentially having another chance through the playoffs.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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