Northern Ireland have made a fine start to their Nations League campaign but their unbeaten record is expected to come under pressure when facing Ukraine .
Meeting on neutral territory in Slovakia will help, but Michael O’Neill’s resources will be stretched for what is now a top-of-the-table clash in Group B2 .
Both sides have started brightly by picking up four points from two outings, but Ukraine have several players that stand out at this level.
Punters can get 20/23 for what would technically be a ‘home’ win and that is our initial Ukraine vs Northern Ireland prediction .
Betting Odds
Ukraine vs Northern Ireland Betting Odds – Nations League 2026-27
Result | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
Ukraine | 20/23 | 53.5% |
Northern Ireland | 10/3 | 23.1% |
Draw | 11/5 | 31.3% |
*Odds are correct at the time of writing, but subject to change.
Ukraine are 20/23 favourites to beat Northern Ireland , who are 10/3 to win, with the draw at 11/5.
How to Watch
How to watch Ukraine vs Northern Ireland
Friday night’s match at Anton Malatinsky Stadium in Trnava is scheduled to kick off at 19:45 BST and will be broadcast live on BBC Two .
Head-to-Head
Ukraine vs Northern Ireland head-to-head record
Games between these two teams are traditionally tight, with six previous meetings producing just seven goals .
Northern Ireland claimed their first win when prevailing 2-0 at Euro 2016 in France via goals from Gareth McAuley and Niall McGinn , but Ukraine gained some revenge with a 1-0 friendly victory in their most recent encounter five years ago, which was a third success for the Blue and Yellow.
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Form Guides
Ukraine form guide
Ukraine missed out on qualifying for the World Cup after losing 3-1 to Sweden in a play-off but have bounced back well in this competition under new Italian boss Andrea Maldera .
The former Brighton assistant became their first ever foreign national team coach in mid-May and began with a 2-0 friendly win in Poland. The Blue and Yellow were losing 2-1 away to Denmark in June when that game was abandoned after 65 minutes but look hungry for success in the Nations League .
Ukraine came out on top against Hungary in Budapest , with Danylo Sikan scoring the only goal of the game in the 42nd minute before they were reduced to 10 men in stoppage time when Oleksandr Nazarenko was dismissed.
That was followed by a goalless stalemate in Georgia , as the Blue and Yellow seek to continue a fine tournament record which has seen them finish first once and second twice at this B-level.
The likes of £57million PSG defender Illia Zabarnyi, Vitalii Mykolenko of Everton, Anderlecht forward Sikan , Olympiakos striker Roman Yaremchuk , Viktor Tsyhankov of Ajax and veteran captain Andriy Yarmolenko give this squad a strong spine.
Examining the Ukraine vs Northern Ireland odds, a BOYLE Sports price boost of 7/4 for the ‘home’ team to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 is another solid option .
Northern Ireland form guide
The Green and White Army had their World Cup hopes dashed by a 2-0 defeat in Italy but O’Neill will be delighted with their early results in this competition.
Pierce Charles saved Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s penalty before brother Shea scored a stoppage-time winner as Northern Ireland beat Georgia 1-0 on the road in Tbilisi .
They then looked the more dangerous side for long stretches of the night in a goalless draw with Hungary at Windsor Park , but were unable to capitalise as their best chances fell to Patrick Kelly in the first half before Isaac Price went close late on.
However, O’Neill is wary of playing four games in 11 days, stating: “I think we may see when we get to game three and game four, maybe the depth of squad will be more of a factor.
“I think Ukraine made a lot of changes to their team (in Monday’s draw in Georgia ). I don’t think we’re in a position to be able to do that at this minute in time. So, it will be challenging over the next two games.”
A tiring travel schedule is another negative and O’Neill admitted “tiredness will be a big factor”.
That viewpoint tempts us to add 7/2 for Draw HT/Ukraine FT to our Ukraine vs Northern Ireland betting tips .
Betting Tips
Ukraine vs Northern Ireland Betting Tips – Nations League 2026-27
Ukraine to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 @ 7/4
Simply click/tap on the above betting tips to add to your betslip.
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