2022 World Cup Qualifying European Predictions > Jun 1st - 5th

[StevieDay1983]

The last couple of games of the UEFA section of qualification for the 2022 World Cup are coming up this week. First up, it's Scotland versus Ukraine in the play-off semi-final. The winners will visit Wales for the final for a place in the winter showpiece. Who are you backing to win here?

[StevieDay1983]

Scotland vs Ukraine

The 2022 World Cup qualification play-off semi-finals in the UEFA section draw to a conclusion this week with the clash between Scotland and Ukraine at 7:45pm BST on Wednesday night from Hampden Park in Glasgow with the winner set to play Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium on Sunday evening. It's set to be an emotionally charged evening with everything going on with the Russian invasion of Ukraine so how are both teams set for this one?

Scotland are looking to reach a second successive major international tournament after qualifying for the 2020 European Championship. Head coach Steve Clarke stated he didn't want his team being a "one tournament wonder". The Tartan Army face a difficult challenge here with practically everyone in the western world wanting Ukraine to reach the 2022 World Cup after recent events. This would be Scotland's first appearance at a World Cup since they last achieved such a feat back in 1998. Scotland have only lost 1 of their last 16 World Cup qualification matches. The 7 wins that Scotland have picked up in this World Cup qualification campaign is a joint record for the nation. This will be Scotland's first play-off game for a World Cup since 1985 when they beat Australia 2-0 on aggregate to progress to the 1986 World Cup.

Ukraine have the support of millions given their current plight but they won't want any freebies. This is a team that has reached this stage off their own back and they'll want to go the whole way. Head coach Oleksandr Petrakov has seen his team go unbeaten for the last 10 international matches and it's hardly surprising with the likes of Roman Yaremchuk, Andriy Yarmolenko, and Oleksandr Zinchenko within their ranks. The Blue and Yellow will contest a World Cup play-off for the fifth time but they have only reached the finals once before and that was back in 2006. The previous four play-off adventures saw the nation lose 3-1 on aggregate to Croatia in 1997, lose 5-2 to Germany on aggregate in 2001, lose 1-0 to Greece on aggregate in 2009, and lose 3-2 to France on aggregate in 2013. It feels like it's a monkey on their back that they need to shake.

This will be the first time these teams have met since 2007 when the teams were drawn together in qualification for the 2008 European Championship. It was Scotland who won that encounter on home turf by a 3-1 score-line but it's fair to say both teams are in different places now. The Ukraine sympathy factor will be a mentality battle for Scotland but I'm adamant the players will remain professional and show nothing but respect for their opponents. I'm still not sure how good this Scotland team is though. It's hard to judge how Ukraine will perform too. Ukraine have scored in 24 of their last 26 games so I am anticipating goals. I think Scotland could sneak this though.

Scotland to Win @ 2.38 with BetVictor

BTTS @ 2.24 with VBet

[StevieDay1983]

Wales vs Ukraine

The final UEFA spot for the 2022 World Cup will be confirmed on Sunday evening in a 5pm BST kick-off between Wales and Ukraine at the Cardiff City Stadium. It's set to be a very emotionally-charged affair again with a home nation that haven't reached a World Cup since 1958 taking on a visiting nation that are currently enduring a battle to simply exist right now.

Wales are on the brink of creating more history in this awesome era that Welsh fans are experiencing. The Dragons have suffered just 1 loss in their last 10 matches over 90 minutes and that was their most recent game which was their UEFA Nations League opener away to Poland by a 2-1 score. Head coach Robert Page selected a largely back-up team for that game with his main focus on this epic clash. Wales come into this game having not suffered a loss at home since 16th November, 2018 in a 2-1 loss to Denmark in the 2018/19 UEFA Nations League. That's a run of 17 games without loss at home. Defensive resilience will be a concern for Page with the team having conceded in each of their last 4 matches at home. It will be interesting to see which line-up Page goes with. Many are suspecting he could stick with the starting XI that got the job done versus Austria in the play-off semi-final but with Daniel James starting against Poland and Kieffer Moore back available there are other options available.

Ukraine managed to navigate their way through a potentially tricky semi-final play-off with Scotland thanks to a 3-1 win. It was a game that saw the Blue and Yellow dominate for large spells but it also saw Scotland miss golden chances at key moments to pull the result back. A second away game in less than a week now awaits Oleksandr Petrakov's men but the desire to reach the 2022 World Cup and send a strong message to the Russian regime currently trying to invade the Donbas region is still burning strong. It's now 11 games unbeaten for Ukraine heading into this game. 8 of those matches have come on their travels so this is a team that knows how to get a result on the road. The big question is how much the emotional and physical cost of Wednesday's win over Scotland will be for Ukraine. They certainly showed enough to suggest that they are at least equal odds for the win here against the Welsh.

I'll be lucky enough to attend this game and I am filled with excitement and dread in equal measure. Make no mistake that this is the biggest game Wales has experienced in nearly 64 years. The FAW have offered free tickets to Ukrainian refugees and as much as we sympathise for the plight of the Ukrainian people there is no doubt that we will be more than happy to sadden the majority of nations around the world by stopping Ukraine from reaching the World Cup. It's going to need a vintage effort from Wales. I fear we played so well against Austria that we've hit our peak too soon. The same could be said for Ukraine though such was their performance versus Scotland. Not a lot will separate these two teams. Both will be going for it and it has the potential be an absolute barn stormer. I wouldn't be surprised if it went all the way. I hope Gareth Bale does the business in normal time again but life has never been easy as a Wales football fan! Just a heads up, whether we win or lose... don't expect to see me around here on Monday! I'll either be celebrating a historic Welsh football moment long into the Cardiff night or drowning my sorrows in a dodgy Grangetown waterhole!  Cymru am byth! Yma o hyd! 

Draw @ 3.12 with VBet

BTTS @ 2.07 with VBet

[harry_rag]

On 6/4/2022 at 2:08 PM, StevieDay1983 said:

Just a heads up, whether we win or lose... don't expect to see me around here on Monday! I'll either be celebrating a historic Welsh football moment long into the Cardiff night or drowning my sorrows in a dodgy Grangetown waterhole!  Cymru am byth! Yma o hyd! 

 

[StevieDay1983]

1 hour ago, harry_rag said:

 

I cannot explain how happy I am today! What an emotional night that was! Some heart-warming scenes after the game as both sets of fans mingled in and around the stadium. A number of Welsh fans who were mothers just embracing younger Ukrainian fans and both in tears. Ukrainian fans coming up to us and thanking us for the warm welcome and wishing us all the best in the World Cup. The best of humanity on display last night from both sets of supporters.