England lead the way in Euro 2024 qualifying Group C with a perfect record after four games and they take on closest rivals Ukraine in Poland on Saturday (17:00 kick off).
The Three Lions appear on course to qualify, but a place at Euro 2024 isn’t guaranteed just yet as Ukraine and Italy have games in hand.
- Both Teams To Score
- Harry Kane To Score Anytime
- Artem Dovbyk To Have One Or More Shots On Target
Ukraine Could Test England
England have an incredible defensive record in qualifying and going back further, having conceded just once in four Group C games and just twice in their last eight across all competitions.
The Three Lions completed a comfortable 2-0 win over Ukraine in the reverse fixture at Wembley and the Blue and Yellow didn’t manage a single shot on target - but they should be more competitive in Poland.
The ongoing situation in Ukraine means they are playing their ‘home’ games in Poland but they will be backed by plenty of fans and have a formidable record at this venue. They haven’t lost any of their last 13 matches as the designated hosts (W5, D8) at this ground in Wroclaw in a run going back to October 2020, and should be fully motivated for this fixture.
In contrast, England go into the game amidst some criticism as boss Gareth Southgate has opted to stick with the likes of Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips, who aren’t featuring for their clubs, as well as Jordan Henderson despite the fact he has left the Premier League. West Ham pair James Ward-Prowse and Jarrod Bowen have perhaps been harshly overlooked - and this England team has a few questions to answer in Wroclaw.
It is hard to see England drawing a blank against a side they comfortably defeated just six months ago, but Ukraine are a different animal in Wroclaw and can get on the scoresheet themselves so backing both teams to score looks a good value starting point here.
Kane To Find The Net Again
Harry Kane swapped Spurs for Bayern Munich in one of the biggest transfer deals of the summer and he is already flourishing in his new environment. The Three Lions captain and all-time leading scorer has three goals in as many appearances in the Bundesliga so he is going into this fixture in fine form.
This will be Kane’s first England appearance since his big-money move to the Bundesliga. Southgate has stressed he sees Kane’s switch to Germany as a boost for the national side and the striker can prove the manager right in that regard at least by adding to his international haul on Saturday.
Dovbyk Can Test The Keeper
Ukraine shouldn’t be underestimated in this fixture and they have an in-form forward of their own who can, at the very least, register an attempt on target.
Artem Dovbyk plays his club football in Spain with promoted Girona and he has enjoyed a solid start to the La Liga season, registering one goal in four appearances despite the fact he is still awaiting a first start after making the move in the summer.
Dovbyk averages an impressive 1.5 shots per-game regardless of the fact he has only played around 120 minutes in total in La Liga. The 26-year-old tends to be accurate, with exactly half his attempts recorded as on target in Spain’s top tier, so at an odds-against price he looks an excellent option to manage one or more shots on target - either as a single bet or as part of a bet builder.
DOVBYK TO HAVE ONE OR MORE SHOTS ON TARGET
