Following draws in their opening two games, Germany will be eager to notch up their first win of the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League campaign when they visit Ukraine on Saturday.
Germany currently sit third in Group A4 – one point ahead of Switzerland. Meanwhile, Ukraine find themselves second – one point ahead of Germany and one behind Spain.
Not your every day warm-up 🏃♂️⚽💦#GERTUR pic.twitter.com/7Q9i8cTm5v— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) October 7, 2020
Not your every day warm-up 🏃♂️⚽💦#GERTUR pic.twitter.com/7Q9i8cTm5v
Ukraine kicked off their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Switzerland. Premier League duo Andriy Yarmolenko (West Ham) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (Man City) got the goals.
However, the Ukrainians were completely outplayed in their next game, losing 4-0 to Spain on Matchday 2.
Ukraine saw just 30% possession against Spain in September and only managed to record four shots to the hosts’ 25.
Andriy Shevchenko’s side enjoyed a hugely successful European Championship qualifying campaign, finishing three points ahead of 2016 champions Portugal to top Group B.
Ukraine went unbeaten throughout the entire campaign, winning six and drawing two of their eight games while only conceding four goals along the way.
Germany also enjoyed a fruitful Euro qualifying campaign, losing just one of their eight games to finish two points clear of Netherlands in Group C.
Jogi Low’s side scored 30 goals across their eight games – an average of over 3.5 goals per game – and only conceded seven in reply.
So far in this year’s Nations League, Germany have secured back-to-back 1-1 draws, first against Spain and most recently against Switzerland.
Low will be happy that his team remains unbeaten this year, but he will also be eager for his side to get their first win of the campaign on Saturday.
Head-to-head: Ukraine and Germany have faced each other six times over the years, and Germany are yet to taste defeat in this fixture.
Germany won the previous encounter 2-0 at the 2016 European Championship, although there have been three draws in their last five meetings.
Team news: Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov and midfielder Taras Stepanenko have both tested positive for coronavirus, so they will miss out for Ukraine this weekend.
As for Germany, Leroy Saner and Thilo Kehrer are injured, while Ilkay Gundogan has not been included in the squad due to his recent positive coronavirus test.
There is no denying that Germany have a much stronger squad than Ukraine, but the in-form Ukrainians will fancy their chances against a stuttering German team.
Forebet predicts that Ukraine’s home advantage will have a big say in the outcome of this game. The hosts are expected to edge this one with a narrow victory.