Euro 2020 sensation Ukraine face one of the favorites of the tournament at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, with a place in the semi-finals of the 2020 UEFA European Championship up for grabs.
Ukraine had a promising start in the tournament with a 3-2 thriller against group winners the Netherlands followed by their first win of Euro 2020 as they ran out 2-1 winners against North Macedonia. A 1-0 loss to Austria in the last group match could have ended their campaign, but Andriy Shevchenko’s team qualified for the ‘Round of 16’ due to their superior goal difference to other third-placed teams.
After going to extra time, Ukraine grabbed a 2-1 win over Sweden and set up a meeting with England in the quarter-final.
England started their Euro 2020 campaign brightly as they bagged a 1-0 win against Croatia in a re-match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-final. A 0-0 draw against Scotland followed by a 1-0 win against the Czech Republic meant the Three Lions went unscathed in group matches and qualified for the ‘Round of 16’ with three clean sheets to their name.
Familiar opponents Germany awaited in the first knockouts hurdle, and Gareth Southgate’s team swept aside the ghosts of the past to beat Die Mannschaft 2-0 at the Wembley Stadium.
Team News
Ukraine are likely to field the same 11 from the previous fixture. Oleksandr Zubkov remains a doubt after picking up an injury in his nation’s tournament opener against the Netherlands.
Southgate will be able to avail services of Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell as the Chelsea duo has completed their quarantine. Bukayo Saka might be dropped for the quarter-final with either Mount or Jack Grealish playing behind the duo of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling.
Key Players
Oleksandr Zinchenko has a knack for standing up and delivering whenever his team needs him whether it is the UEFA Champions League semi-final or the ‘Round of 16’ clash against Sweden. Zinchenko gave Ukraine the lead against Sweden and followed it up with an assist after contributing in both attack and defence for 120 tireless minutes.
Andriy Yarmolenko has been directly involved in 4 of the 6 Ukrainian goals in Euros 2020, and the West Ham United striker would be shouldering his nation’s hopes once again on Saturday.
Manchester United full-back Luke Shaw possibly gave his best performance in an English jersey against Germany. Playing at left wing-back, he would be crucial for the Three Lions in both defence and attack against Ukraine.
The England captain Harry Kane opened his goalscoring account in Euro 2020 in the dying moments of the match against Germany. With all due respect to the defence of Ukraine, Denmark, and the Czech Republic, the Tottenham Hotspurs striker would be relishing the opportunity to win the ‘Golden Boot’ in another major tournament.
Prediction
Ukraine has put up a good fight throughout the current tournament, and the same is expected from the players when they come up against the mighty England team. Head coach Shevchenko has used the bench expertly during the first four matches, and it would be interesting to observe how he uses his squad on Saturday.
England will be playing their first and last match of Euro 2020 away from Wembley, and Southgate would hope that the Three Lions come out on top even without the roaring support of the home crowd.
