Ukraine take on the visitors Sweden in semifinal match of FIFA World Cup promotion. The match will be played on Thursday, March 26th at Estadi Ciutat de València (Valencia).
Ukraine do not exactly collapse, but at the same time they do not achieve any truly convincing success either. This was especially evident during the previous cycle: on the one hand, they came through two playoff rounds and qualified for the Euros, and there they collected 4 points for the first time; on the other hand, they still somehow failed to get out of the group, even though all the other teams in the quartet finished with the same number of points. Then, in the Nations League, after a difficult start, they eventually finished second and, a year ago, seemed to have confidently won the first match against Belgium — but by failing in the return leg, they missed the chance to reach League A. In the most recent qualification campaign, meanwhile, they had nothing to offer against France (0-2 and 0-4) and dropped points in Azerbaijan, but on the other hand they beat their direct rivals Iceland twice, 5-3 and 2-0. Even so, their recent run suggests a side that can still be competitive in open games, especially against opponents with clear weaknesses of their own.
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Sweden raise no fewer questions. “Blågult” were fairly well regarded in the world of national teams during the previous decade. But after going out at Euro 2020 precisely to Ukraine in the round of 16, the decline began — the Scandinavians have not qualified for a single final tournament since then. In the Nations League, they even suffered two straight relegations. Yet it was in that same competition that they finally gave their fans something to cheer about, winning their group in 2024 — and their opponents were not only Estonia and Azerbaijan, but also Slovakia, whom they finished 3 points above. In any case, World Cup qualification had been awaited with a certain degree of optimism. And despite the coaching change in October, they completely failed it. The Swedes drew twice with Slovenia, but lost every match not only to Switzerland, but even to Kosovo as well. Their latest results only reinforced the sense that this team remain unpredictable and are still far from restoring any real stability.
The “Yellow-and-Blues” have unexpectedly done fairly well against this northern opponent. True, if we count only the result in regular time, they have two wins — including at their home Euro 2012 — and one defeat in 6 matches. The nominal hosts are rated lower here. But they can surprise both their opponent and themselves, and they should definitely compete against such an inconsistent side — the pick is both teams to score.
Prediction for the match: Both teams to score – yes.
