Administrator Stan Posted June 17 Administrator Share Posted June 17 Kick-off 14.00 (BST) VS Venue - Allianz Arena, Munich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 I want Ukraine to make a statement today against a very tough Romanian side. For today's match against Romania, I think Ukraine will win, despite the bookies having the match pretty even with Ukraine only slight favourites. On the injury front, Mykolenko has been ruled out for this match through injury, so that will mean his left-back position will be filled by Zinchenko. Zinchenko who usually thrives in midfield for Ukraine, will have to cover for Mykolenko's absence at left-back. While Zinchenko's position in midfield is likely to be filled by Shaparenko. Shaparenko is a player who had an excellent season for Dynamo Kyiv the season just finished, after sitting out the whole of the previous season through injury. Shaparenko is generally held in high regard in Ukraine and some say he's as good as Sudakov. But the main reason why Sudakov is being courted by most of Europe's top clubs and why Shaparenko isn't, is probably because Shaparenko had that injury that kept him out for so long and because Shaparenko is now 25 years old, while Sudakov is only 21. But Shaparenko coming into the team because of Mykolenko's injury, is the only change that is expected to be made from the regular Ukrainian line-up. It will be a big opportunity for Shaparenko to prove himself at this level, so it will be very interesting to see how he performs. So for Ukraine, Real Madrid's Lunin is expected to start ahead of Benfica's Trubin as Ukraine's goalkeeper. In defence, the strong central defensive partnership of Bournemouth's Zabarnyi and Shakhtar's Matviyenko will start. Shakhtar Donetsk's Konoplia has proven himself to be Ukraine's best right-back ahead of the likes of Tymchyk and Karavayev. So Konoplia will start on the right of defence while as already mentioned, at left-back, Arsenal's Zinchenko will start in place of the injured Everton player Mykolenko. In the holding midfield position, the experienced Stepanenko is likely to start ahead of Genoa's Malinovskyi and the youngster Brazhko. While next to Stepanenko in midfield, as already mentioned, Dynamo Kyiv's Shaparenko should start. In the attacking midfield position, the latest Ukrainian wonderkid Sudakov will start. He will be given a lot of responsibility for his play making ability. While on the wings, Girona's Tsyhankov will play on the right wing and Chelsea's Mudryk will play on the left wing, providing a lot of creativity for Ukraine. In attack, the centre forward for Ukraine is going to be no other than the La Liga's top scorer and Girona's star player Artem Dovbyk. Dovbyk, who scored 24 league goals in the Spanish league last season, which was his first season playing in the Spanish league, has proven himself to be one of the most lethal strikers in Europe. Watching the attacking quartet of Dovbyk, Tsyhankov, Sudakov and Mudryk is a mouth watering prospect for me. I believe they will terrorise a lot of defences at these Euros. Ukraine also have attacking options off the bench if need be. The young striker Vanat was the leading scorer in the Ukrainian league and he is an excellent goal-scorer. Vanat's class got him selected for the Ukraine squad ahead of Ukraine's other highly rated young striker Sikan. Other attacking options off the bench are Valencia's Yaremchuk and the veteran Yarmolenko, both of whom were Ukraine's best players at the last Euros, but this time they have to settle for a place on the bench. Furthermore, Genoa's midfielder Malinovskyi, arguably the best long range shooter in the world, is also an attacking option for Ukraine off the bench. It's also worth noting that this Ukrainian team is generally very young. Of the starting 11, only Stepanenko is in his 30's, while there's only one player who is 28 and another who is 27 and the rest of the players are either 26 years old or younger. If the 22 year old Brazhko starts ahead of Stepanenko, as he did during the play-offs in qualification, then that would bring the average age down even further. So it's a promising young team that Ukraine have, that will be together for many years to come. So Ukraine's expected line-up is the following: GK: Lunin, RB: Konoplia, CB: Zabarnyi, CB: Matviyenko, LB: Zinchenko - CM: Stepanenko, CM: Shaparenko, RW: Mudryk, LW: Tsyhankov, AM: Sudakov, CF: Artem Dovbyk. As for Ukraine's opponents today, Romania went undefeated in their qualification group for these Euros, a group that featured Switzerland, in which Romania beat the Swiss at home and drew with them away. In goal, the manager Iordanescu will need to choose between the experienced keepr Nita and the younger Atletico Madrid keeper Moldovan, as to who he thinks should start. Bournemouth keeper Ionut Radu, on loan from Inter Milan, wasn't even selected for Romania's Euro squad because of his lack of playing time at club level. In defence, Tottenham's highly rated Dragusin will marshal the defence next to the more experienced defender Burca. Palermo's central defender Nedelcearu will have to make do with a place on the bench. At right-back, Rayo Vallecano's 25 year old Andrei Ratiu will start for Romania, while at left-back the experienced Bancu should start. In central midfield, former Ajax player and current Empoli player Razvan Marin will play alongside his namesake and Pisa midfielder Marius Marin. They will both be responsible for the ball winning responsibilities in midfield. In attacking midfield, the play-making role will be given to the experienced and very talented Nicolae Stanciu. Stancia will likely start ahead of the equally talented Ianis Hagi, despite Hagi having a successful season in Spain's La Liga with Alaves. Impressive attacking midfielder Darius Olaru will also likely start on the bench. On the wings, it is likely that the Parma duo of Dennis Man and Valentin Mihaila will start. Both players were integral last season in helping Parma win the Serie B title last season, with Dennis Man voted the best player in Italy's Serie B last season and being courted by the likes of Dortmund. Dennis Man will start on the right wing, while Mihaila, 2 goal hero against Switzerland during qualification will battle it out with the talented Florinel Coman, nicknamed the "Romanian Mbappe", to start on the left-wing. In attack, the centre forward position is most likely going to go with Denis Dragus. Dragus has been among the leading scorers in the Turkish league and he was recently linked to Hoffenheim. The 24 year old Dragus is likely to start ahead of former Inter Milan striker Alibec and George Puscas of Genoa. Romania's expected line-up is the following: GK: Nita, RB: Ratiu, CB: Dragusin, CB: Burca, LB: Bancu - CM: Razvan Marin, CM: Marius Marin, RW: Dennis Man, LW: Florinal Coman, CF: Dennis Dragus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Mudryk dribbles past what looks like half the Romanian team in the opening minute haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 A long ball forward finds Dovbyk, but his first touch control lets him down a bit and the Romanian keeper Nitu dives to claim the ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Romania's Coman has a shot at goal from outside of the area, but it is saved by Lunin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Two defenders on Dovbyk there, the Romanians are making sure they mark him well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 (edited) Romania are sitting deep and look very compact, they're defending in numbers and looking to hit Ukraine on the counter attack when the situation arises. Edited June 17 by Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Dovbyk has a shot on the turn from outside the area, but the ball flies over the bar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Stan Posted June 17 Author Administrator Share Posted June 17 This game is playing out as poorly as expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Romania have got a lot of pace in their team when they counter attack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Stan Posted June 17 Author Administrator Share Posted June 17 Sensational hit. Quality goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Stanciu scores with a rocket of a shot from outside the area! Romania take the lead! Poor clearance from Lunin though, but an excellent strike by Stanciu. Romania 1-0 Ukraine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6666 Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Defender waited too long to pass it back to Lunin. Put him under unnecessary pressure. Great finish though from Stancu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 3 minutes ago, Stan said: This game is playing out as poorly as expected. What is that supposed to mean lol? It is a case of Ukraine trying to break down a compact and strong Romanian defence, with Romania trying to counter. Now that Romania have scored with that unstoppable shot by Stanciu, we will have to see how Ukraine respond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 (edited) 21 minutes ago, 6666 said: Defender waited too long to pass it back to Lunin. Put him under unnecessary pressure. Great finish though from Stancu. I agree, that was Matviyenko's fault to start with, he put Lunin under pressure. It was a great strike by Stanciu. Edited June 17 by Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Dragusin clears a dangerous cross from Mudryk with his head out for a corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Mudryk with a powerful cross shot across goal hits Stepanenko, I don't think he knew what hit him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 (edited) Dennis Man has a shot at goal that deflects of Stepanenko and goes narrowly past the post for a corner to Romania. Edited June 17 by Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Stan Posted June 17 Author Administrator Share Posted June 17 4 minutes ago, Michael said: What is that supposed to mean lol? It is a case of Ukraine trying to break down a compact and strong Romanian defence, with Romania trying to counter. Now that Romania have scored with that unstoppable shot by Stanciu, we will have to see how Ukraine respond. Nothing offensive, don't worry. At the time of posting (before the goal) it was a bit scrappy and cagey. Neither team carving out clear opportunities and the players you'd expect to shine weren't really in the game (Mudryk, Tsygankov ineffective, Dovbyk not seeing much of the ball). Since the goal the intensity has upped on both sides and it is a better game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Stan said: Nothing offensive, don't worry. At the time of posting (before the goal) it was a bit scrappy and cagey. Neither team carving out clear opportunities and the players you'd expect to shine weren't really in the game (Mudryk, Tsygankov ineffective, Dovbyk not seeing much of the ball). Since the goal the intensity has upped on both sides and it is a better game. It might have something to do with the fact that Romania almost have their whole team in their own penalty area when they defend. Mudryk, Sudakov, Dovbyk and Co were getting past players, but it is difficult to get past so many players. The Romanians are very compact when they defend. Edited June 17 by Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 (edited) Not the start that Ukraine would have expected, but I am not worrying too much right now. Because Ukraine have a habit of going a goal down and then end up winning. Not saying that's definitely going to happen, but there's plenty of hope. It happened in the play-offs Ukraine were in, both against Bosnia and Iceland. Edited June 17 by Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 I hope Rebrov gets Ukraine to respond positively in the 2nd half. It looked like Ukraine were a little shell shocked after conceding that goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 (edited) Coman has a shot at goal for Romania go wide of the post. Edited June 17 by Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Sudakov with a shot that flies over the bar/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber Mel81x+ Posted June 17 Subscriber Share Posted June 17 Great goal that. Romania are now 2 up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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