The last Round of 16 match at Euro 2020 is expected to be one of the lowest scoring matches in the knockout rounds. Sweden leaned heavily on their defense to claim the top spot in Group E ahead of Spain, holding both Spain and Slovakia scoreless in their first two matches. They will take on a Ukraine team that was fortunate to make the knockout rounds after losing to the Netherlands and Austria.
These teams last met in the Group Stage of the 2012 Euros. Zlatan Ibrahimovic got Sweden on the board shortly after halftime, but Andriy Shevchenko netted a brace in the next ten minutes to give Ukraine the lead and the eventual three points. Shevchenko is now the manager of the national team, and he will remind his players of that victory before this match.
Don't miss a second of EURO 2020. This match will be held at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 29, 2021. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN.
UEFA EURO 2020 Odds at BookMaker.eu
Sweden +136
Ukraine +232
Draw +216
Over/Under 2
Odds Analysis
Sweden was hoping to have Zlatan Ibrahimovic returning for international duty at this tournament, but Ibra’s injury was too severe and forced the team to go in another direction. That might turn out to be a blessing in disguise as we have seen Alexander Isak shine at this event.
Isak has yet to score at Euro 2020, but his impact has been felt. He created Sweden’s best chances against both Spain and Slovakia, taking some of the pressure off Sweden’s defense. Emil Forsberg has scored three goals in the last two matches, and Viktor Claesson is riding high after he notched the game-winner against Poland in the closing seconds.
Victor Lindelof is playing very well for Sweden at the center back position. He has been one of the keys for Manchester United over the past four years, and he has helped make Sweden sound on defense. Robin Olsen has been a quality goalkeeper too.
Ukraine’s main goal scoring threats are Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yarenchuk. They each notched a goal in Ukraine’s loss to the Netherlands and in their country’s win over North Macedonia. Yarmolenko now has 42 goals for the national team, and that’s nearly as many as every other player on the roster combined. Yaremchuk is the only other Ukrainian player with at least 10 goals.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has been playing well in the midfield. Zinchenko’s presence isn’t always prominent on the stat sheet, but he is a valuable part of this team. He now has 42 caps for the Ukrainian national team at the age of 24, so he has a good chance to be Ukraine’s most capped player by the time he retires.
Matchup to Watch
It will be very interesting to see the tactics that Sweden deploys in this match. The Swedes played Spain to a goalless draw in their opener, and they played a completely bland first half against Slovakia too. They had more chances after the break by opening things up, and they carried over that style into their match with Poland. Ukraine may be game to take more chances too, so this match has potential to be higher scoring than the oddsmakers believe.
Free EURO 2020 Betting Pick
This is going to be a tough match. I expect these teams to be tied at the end of regulation, and Sweden will keep their hopes alive with a goal before 120 minutes that eventually seals it for the slight favorites.
EURO 2020 Odds: Sweden 2, Ukraine 1 (aet)
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