Ukraine vs Kosovo Predictions & Betting Tips, Match Previews

Ukraine managed to pick up another point in World Cup qualifying on Thursday, but the manner of their 2-2 draw at Turkey will feel more like a defeat. They went two goals up in the first half an hour thanks to a quickfire double from Andriy Yarmolenko and Artem Kravets. Turkey pulled one back just before the break though and an 81st minute Hakan Calhanogly penalty salvaged a point for the hosts.

This followed on from Ukraine’s opening day draw at home to Iceland, and it looks like they are facing serious competition for the top spot in this qualifying group. Croatia, Iceland, Ukraine, and Turkey will all be battling it out hoping to make it to Russia, but there is just one automatic qualification spot and one possible playoff spot available.

This draw with Turkey continued their winless streak that began in the summer. They lost all three of their group games in Euro 2016 and have since played out two draws to make it five games without a win. Prior to that they had won five of their last six games.

Kosovo played their first ever competitive home match on Thursday, and it didn’t quite go according to plan. The talented Croatia hammered them 6-0 thanks to a fantastic performance from Mario Mandzukic. This is a stark contrast to their first ever competitive match last month, where they drew 1-1 away to Finland.

This sort of play is to be expected from them though. They have only recently been granted permission to play in FIFA tournaments and, as such, as many as nine players were granted permission to switch allegiances to play for their homeland.

This means that Kosovo are basically an entirely new team of players, and it’s going to take some time for them to organise themselves and get used to the style of play. They’re not great on the quality front either, so that won’t have helped.

Despite Ukraine’s poor performance in France, their home form is actually looking pretty good. They have won five, drawn one, and lost one of their last seven games at home. They have kept a clean sheet in four of these matches as well, whilst Kosovo showed a distinct lack of attacking threat in midweek. I think odds of 20/21 for Ukraine to Win to Nil are good value, so I’m backing that alongside a 2-0 correct score prediction at 5/1.