Slovakia vs Ukraine Bet Builder Tips: 14/1 pick for Ukraine response

Slovakia stunned Belgium in their first game of Euro 2024 to take a huge step towards qualifying for the knockout stages for only the second time as an independent nation. Next they face Ukraine in Dusseldorf on Friday (14:00, BBC One), who are reeling after a shock 3-0 loss to Romania. 

Slovakia may only need one more point from their last two games to make it into the last 16, but there is now a realistic chance that they could top this group, having beaten the favourites in their opening match. Below you can find my Slovakia vs Ukraine Bet Builder Tips, for this crunch Group E clash.

Slovakia vs Ukraine Odds

Ukraine to win

The first game was an utter disaster, and everything that could go wrong went wrong for Serhiy Rebrov and his team. I thought they would beat Romania, but I was remarkably impressed with how the underdogs performed in that 3-0 win. 

Ukraine were off it during that 90 minutes, but that doesn’t mean that they are a bad side. They still have some elite European talents in their squad, especially in forward areas, and I think they will bounce back and progress from this group. If they want to do that, they have to win this game. 

Now Slovakia secured the shock of the first round of fixtures as they beat Belgium, but they were incredibly lucky throughout that game. According to xG they should have conceded 1.83 goals based on the chances they gave up, and that isn’t even counting the two disallowed goals that were taken away from Romelu Lukaku due to offside. I think Ukraine are the far superior team, and should be able to win this match relatively comfortably. 

Mykhaylo Mudryk and Artem Dovbyk to score

I’m backing Ukraine’s main men to find the net in this one. Chelsea’s Mykhaylo Mudryk looked bright in spells despite that 3-0 defeat, and the way he carries the ball into the box is always going to cause the opposition problems. If he can find a way to get his shots away, I think he will be able to find the net against Slovakia, while I’m also backing Artem Dovbyk to find his feet in front of goal. 

The big striker won the Golden Boot in La Liga this season with Girona, and should be able to cause some damage in this competition. He didn’t get off the mark against Romania but I’ve seen enough in him this season to think that it is only a matter of time before he finds the net. Given the chances Slovakia gave up against Belgium, I think Ukraine will be able to take full advantage and score at least two goals. I’m backing their star men to come to the fore and show what they are all about here.  

Euro 2024 Odds

Over 8.5 corners

I expect this one to be a fairly engaging contest, with Ukraine and Slovakia both happy to try and force goalscoring opportunities from set pieces. Slovakia had seven corners against Belgium and gave away five in a game where they were under the cosh which is impressive, while Ukraine had eight corners and gave away four as they failed to break down Romania. 

I’m expecting a similar pattern of play to unfold here, with Ukraine dominating possession. Given the corner totals we saw in the first round of fixtures, I think over 8.5 total corners is easily achievable in this fixture. 

Check out our other Euro 2024 Betting Tips here.