Netherlands (NED) will end a seven-year exile from big tournaments when they meet Ukraine (UKR) in the second fixture of Group C. The Euro 2012, in which the Oranje didn’t win a single game, was the last time they featured in the continental competition. Ukraine, meanwhile, was eliminated in the group stages in the last two editions of the Euros.
With the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Marten de Roon, Netherlands boasts the best central midfield trio in the tournament. Wijnaldum was their top scorer in the qualifiers, while De Jong and De Roon have established a great partnership.
The expectations will be high on Ukraine forward Roman Yaremchuk as the 25-year-old scored 17 goals in Belgium League this season. Oleksandr Zinchenko is yet another key player for Ukraine. He won the English Premier League title with Manchester City and played in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League final.
Recent Form (last five matches)
NED: W (3-0 vs Georgia), D (2-2 vs Scotland), W (0-7 vs Gibraltar), W (2-0 vs Latvia), L (4-2 vs Turkey)
UKR: W (4-0 vs Cyprus), W (1-0 vs Northern Ireland), D (1-1 vs Bahrain), D (1-1 vs Kazakhstan) D (1-1 vs Finland)
Head-to-Head
Played: 2
NED won: 1
UKR won: 0
Drawn: 1
Stats & Facts
- M Depay (FOR) has scored five goals in Netherlands’ last three matches
- A Yarmolenko (FOR)struck a brace in Ukraine’s 4-0 win over Cyprus
- R Yaremchuk (FOR) netted two goals from his last three appearances for Ukraine
- G Wijnaldum (MID) made two assists and a goal from Netherlands’ last three matches
- D Dumfries (DEF) grabbed an assist in the 3-0 victory against Georgia
Injuries/Suspensions
NED: M De Ligt (injured)
UKR: none
Playing 11
NED (possible): M Stekelenburg; D Dumfries, J Timber, S De Vrij, D Blind, O Wijndal; F de Jong, M de Roon, G Wijnaldum; M Depay, W Weghorst
UKR (possible): G Bushchan; O Karavaev, I Zabarnyi, M Matviyenko, V Mykolenko; O Zinchenko, S Sydorchuk, R Malinovskyi; A Yarmolenko, R Yaremchuk, O Zubkov
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Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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