Spain reside in Group C of the Euro 2016 qualifiers, and pressure is on Vicente Del Bosque to make it to the final tournament in France. His Spain side performed way below expectations at the 2014 World Cup, crashing out as champions before they had even reached the second round.
So far, Spain have been slowly trying to return to their finest form. After a 5-1 start to the qualifying campaign against Macedonia, all appeared to be well. However, Spain went on to lose 2-1 in Slovakia. Successive victories against Luxembourg and Belarus helped to right the ship.
Ukraine currently reside third in the group with nine points, which is the same as Spain. Slovakia are then three points ahead on 12, making this a must-win clash for both sides. Ukraine’s only loss also came against Slovakia, which is a 1-0 outcome.
Expectations
Offensively, Ukraine have only mustered six goals in four qualifiers. That is way behind Spain’s current tally of 13. However, Ukraine have the best defensive record, only conceding a single goal. Key to winning this game will be Spain’s ability to break down an often-stubborn Ukraine side.
Despite having a wealth of quality midfielders, Spain are lacking in striking quality. While David Villa has retired from international football, Fernando Torres is still a forgotten man after torrid spells with Chelsea and AC Milan. Meanwhile, Diego Costa will miss the Ukraine game with a recurrence of his hamstring injury.
Former Real Madrid striker Álvaro Morata has been pretty effective in his first season with Juventus in Serie A. The 22-year-old is already in double digits with his goal tally, so he will need to make up for the absence Diego Costa. The only drawback is that he is yet to score for his country.
Match Tips
Tip one: Under 2.5 goals @ 2.15 Betfair
Tip two: Spain win and under 2.5 goals @ 3.0 with Betfair
Spain are desperately lacking experienced strikers, which means that a victory will likely come with a low score line. Enhance an under 2.5 goals wager by combining with a Spain win.