Our analysis of the Group C candidates concludes this evening with a look at Ukraine. Mykhaylo Fomenko’s men kick off their Euro 2016 campaign with a showdown against Germany on Sunday July 12 at 8pm before going up against Northern Ireland four days later at 5pm and Poland on Tuesday June 21 at 5pm.
Road to Qualification
After finishing third in a group that included Spain and Slovakia, Fomenko’s side clinched qualification by winning 3-1 against Slovenia in a two-legged play-off.
Ukraine won six and lost three of their ten group matches, though failed to impress against the aforementioned top two home and away, drawing blanks on all four occasions. Although they netted a total of 14 times, six of those arrived against Luxembourg, highlighting a lack of cutting edge against quality opposition.
Fomenko’s emphasis on defence is highlighted by a record of just four goals against during the qualifiers. Ukraine managed six clean sheets and never conceded more than once in any of their group fixtures or play-off matches.
When it comes to recent friendlies, Fomenko’s side have won all four matches over the last 12 months. They ground out narrow triumphs over Georgia (2-1), Cyprus (1-0) and Wales (1-0), though a 4-3 win over Romania last week points to a downturn in resilience.
Most Appearances Andriy Pyatov, Viacheslav Shevchuk, Andriy Yarmolenko (12), Artem Fedetskiy, Yevhen Konoplyanka (11), Yevhen Khacheridi (10), Yaroslav Rakitskiy, Taras Stepanenko (9), Ruslan Rotan, Artem Kravets (8), Serhiy Sydorchuk (7)
Most goals Andriy Yarmolenko (6), Artem Kravets (3), Serhiy Sydorchuk, Yevhen Seleznev, Yevhen Konoplyanka (2)
Most assists Andriy Yarmolenko (3), Serhiy Sydorchuk, Andriy Pyatov, Ruslan Rotan, Artem Fedetskiy, Artem Kravets, Viacheslav Shevchuk (1)
The Key Targets
Inverted wide men Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen Konoplyanka are the chief protagonists in a 4-3-3/ 4-2-3-1 set-up. Priced at 8.5 in the Uefa game, Yarmolenko offered far more of an end product over qualifying, bagging six goals and three assists, and continued that form into recent friendlies, with two goals and an assist over Ukraine’s last couple of matches. His classification as a forward – compared to Konoplyanka as a midfielder – could prove significant in our thinking, though.
Konoplyanka is cheaper at 7.5 and, encouragingly, produced more efforts and shots on target than any Ukraine player, despite only finding the net on a couple of occasions. Delving further into the data, Konoplyanka was number one by some distance for crosses – which strengthens his appeal in DraftKings – and also led the way for chances created. He also takes a fair share of his side’s corners, which is another string in his bow compared to Yarmolenko. With 3% ownership, he’s the most popular pick amongst Fomenko’s charges so far.
At 5.0 in Uefa, Artem Fedetskiy and Yaroslav Rakitskiy are the cheapest of Ukraine’s backline regulars and also boast superior underlying numbers to their defensive team-mates. The former is less expensive than fellow full-back Viacheslav Shevchuk (5.5) and although the duo are very similar for both attempts on goal and interceptions, Fedetskiy has a clear edge on the left-back when it comes to chances created and successful tackles – something to consider for the DraftKings game. Rakitskiy, meanwhile, is afforded a fair share of dead-ball duties and fired 14 attempts over the qualifiers – a tally bettered only by Yarmolenko and Konoplyanka.
In the centre of the park, Ruslan Rotan (6.0 in Uefa) was second only to Konoplyanka for chances created and crosses and also shares corners with the Sevilla winger. Rotan’s ball-winning ability means he sat second for successful tackles over the qualifiers for Ukraine, whilst he also fired more efforts from inside the box than any central midfielder.
The Long Shots
Priced at 5.5 in Uefa, Yevhen Khacheridi seems a valid option in defence for those playing DraftKings. The defender led the way for interceptions by some distance, producing more than three times the tally of fellow centre-half Rakitskiy in just over 100 minutes more pitch time.
After appearing just five times in qualifying, Roman Zozulya seems to have cemented the lone striker spot and started each of the last three friendlies. The 6.5-priced frontman netted in the win over Romania, though has been far from prolific and failed to score in the qualifying stages.
Taras Stepanenko (5.5 in Uefa) looks a likely starter in central midfield and may be another more suited to the DraftKings game – he’s second for interceptions and also registered double-figures for attempts on goal, despite failing to find the net. The Shakhtar Donetsk man also netted the only goal of a friendly win over Cyprus back in March.
Upcoming Friendlies
Albania vs Ukraine (June 3)
Further Analysis
Group A – Albania, France, Romania, Switzerland.
Group B England, Russia, Slovakia, Wales.
Group C Germany, Northern Ireland, Poland
