Ukraine vs Northern Ireland prediction: teams form analysis, possible lineups on October 2, 2026
UEFA Nations League B
On October 2, 2026, Ukraine and Northern Ireland will face off in the third round of League B in the UEFA Nations League. A clash between the quartet’s surprise leaders.
Ukraine vs Northern Ireland team news and expert analysis
Ukraine once again featured in the spring playoffs. However, unlike at Euro 2024, things did not go their way: in March, they lost to their very first opponent, Sweden. That led to a change in head coach. The new manager, Maldera, could not even complete two friendly matches in the summer — the game against Denmark was abandoned because of Eriksen’s problems. They opened their Nations League campaign in Hungary and unexpectedly defeated the nominal favourites 1-0. After that, having significantly refreshed their line-up against Georgia, they played out a pragmatic goalless draw.
Northern Ireland won their group in League C of the previous Nations League campaign. They also collected nine points in qualifying, finishing third behind Slovakia and Germany. Then, in March, they suffered a 0-2 defeat to Italy without offering much resistance. In the current tournament, they kept a clean sheet in Georgia and stunned their opponents with a late goal to claim victory. They then finished goalless at home against Hungary.
Under Tsyhankov and company, Ukraine score 1.5 goals per match while conceding 1.2. The British side average 0.7 goals scored and 0.8 conceded.
Previous matches: Ukraine vs Northern Ireland
Ukraine have won half of the six head-to-head meetings, suffering just one defeat.
The nominal home side are expected to win, but the opening goal could decide everything here. We are backing “under 2.5 goals” (odds – 1.60).
Ukraine vs Northern Ireland: key statistics and trends
- Ukraine have won four of their last seven matches
- 40% of Ukraine’s matches end with both teams scoring, while the average total goals per match is 2.7
- Northern Ireland have lost one of their last five matches
- 20% of Northern Ireland’s matches end with both teams scoring, while the average total goals per match is 1.5
Ukraine vs Northern Ireland: possible starting line-ups
Ukraine play in a 1-4-5-1 formation (possible line-up): Trubin - Krupskyi, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Mykolenko - Brazhko, Ocheretko, Sudakov, Tsyhankov, Vanat - Yaremchuk
Northern Ireland play in a 1-3-4-2-1 formation (possible line-up): Charles - Atcheson, McConville, Brown - Hume, Charles, Galbraith, Devenny - Kelly, Donley - Price
Place your bet on the upcoming match and follow the team’s performance in the UEFA Nations League standings
