Kick-off: 1700, 05/06/2022
Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium
TV: Sky Sports
Ukraine put in an inspired performance to see off Scotland in the World Cup play-offs and are fancied for another emotional triumph in Wales.
Oleksandr Petrakov’s men played in a really positive manner at Hampden Park, showing no signs of being adversely affected by distractions elsewhere.
A repeat of that display would make 2.9 for them to prevail again in Cardiff more than just a sentimental selection for our initial Wales vs Ukraine prediction.
Wales Odds
We cleaned up with a trio of successful tips when Wales were beaten 2-1 by Poland in the Nations League on Wednesday but accept this massive match will have been on their minds.
Skipper Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Ben Davies and Joe Allen were all rested in Wroclaw – their first loss for nearly a year.
The Dragons earned a place in these play-offs by finishing second to Belgium in their qualifying group, edging out the Czech Republic by one point.
Robert Page’s side only lost once during that campaign – and that was when facing the pool winners in Leuven.
Austria were then beaten 2-1 at this venue to put them one step away from a trip to Qatar 2022, with talismanic front man Gareth Bale bagging both goals.
Wales also made it through to the knockout stage of the delayed Euro 2020 finals, although they were then demolished 4-0 by Denmark in Amsterdam.
Page encourages his team to play football and be on the front foot from the outset but that could suit Ukraine’s excellent counter-attacking ability.
There is also the nagging doubt about how sharp key duo Bale and Ramsey will be after limited time on the pitch for Real Madrid and Rangers.
Looking at the Wales vs Ukraine odds, we like 6.5 for the visitors to win and both teams to score.
Ukraine Odds
Ukraine went unbeaten through their World Cup pool, securing two wins and six draws in a strong section which featured table toppers France, Finland and Bosnia.
They also made the Euro 2020 quarter-finals, edging out Sweden after extra-time before being thumped 4-0 by England in Rome.
Russia’s invasion of their neighbours prompted a delay in these play-offs but the yellow and blues managed to fit in three recent warm-up fixtures versus club teams.
There were certainly no signs of rustiness in the 3-1 defeat of Scotland in Glasgow, with Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk netting either side of half-time.
Callum McGregor pulled a goal back for the Scots in the 79th minute but substitute Artem Dovbyk drove in a breakaway third in added time.
There were concerns over the performance of Dynamo Kyiv keeper Heorhiy Bushchan but Oleksandr Zinchenko of Manchester City was outstanding in midfield.
Head coach Petrakov commented: “I have no emotions, they were all left on the pitch. This victory was not for me or the players, this victory was for Ukraine.
“We did everything for the people we played for, for the armed forces in the trenches and in the hospitals, who give their last drop of blood, those in Ukraine who suffer every day.”
West Ham star Yarmolenko now has 45 international goals from 107 caps and is just three behind record scorer Andriy Shevchenko.
Let’s add 5.0 for him to net again in another away win to our Wales vs Ukraine betting tips.
Additional stats
Last result:
Poland 2-1 WALES – Jonny Williams
Scotland 1-3 UKRAINE – Andriy Yarmolenko, Roman Yaremchuk, Artem Dovbyk
Head-to-head: Ukraine 1-0 Wales, Ukraine 1-1 Wales, Wales 1-1 Ukraine
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