Ukraine will take on Northern Ireland in a Group C encounter of Euro 2016 at the Stade de Lyon on Thursday. Prior to this game, these two sides have met four times and Ukraine have prevailed in two of them and the remaining were draws.
Northern Ireland will look to change the statistics when they will face Ukraine in Euro 2016 Group C game on Thursday.
Ukraine's five-match unbeaten run was broken by Germany in the last game. They were in a really good form and they would want to continue with that against Northern Ireland as well.
Either sides will not want to drop points in this game as this a very crucial match. They are competing with the likes of Germany and Poland in the same group and it is indeed a difficult task for both Ukraine and Northern Ireland. So three points will be absolutely brilliant for either of the sides. The importance of those three points will be further enhanced if Germany and Poland end their match as a draw in the next game after theirs in Euro 2016.
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Ukraine boss Mykhaylo Fomenko is aware of the strengths of Northern Ireland and stated that his players are ready both mentally and physically.
"We need to create as many chances as we did against Germany and this time convert them. The most important thing is to recover psychologically, but the players are good and have recovered well. We're prepared physically and mentally. The players need a steely mentality," Fomenko was quoted as saying by UEFA.
"Every team plays how it can, and I think Northern Ireland will play the same way tomorrow. We'll try to seize our opportunity and score. I think they'll apply a lot of pressure. That's the main principle of this game: apply pressure and wait for a reaction. Our players understand this perfectly."
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland gaffer Michael O'Neill is confident that his boys are capable of playing better football and is hopeful that they will be able yield positive results from this clash against Ukraine.
"The first game was a disappointment and we've looked at that closely. The players will use that as motivation. It's not as though we're cut drift. The players' minds are focused and they're determined to do well tomorrow. We believe we're capable of playing better with the ball and stamping our authority on the game. We need to find a better balance," O'Neill said.
"The game between Ukraine and Germany was excellent. We saw the strong points of the Ukraine team. They're a threat at set pieces and had chances. We have to be prepared to match their physicality."
Click here for the updated points table.
Where to Watch Live
Ukraine vs Northern Ireland Group C game of Euro 2016 is set to begin at 6 p.m. local time (9.30 p.m. IST, 5 p.m. BST, 12 p.m. ET). All the live streaming and TV information is below.
India: TV: Sony Six/HD and Sone ESPN/HD. Live Streaming: Sonyliv.
France: TV: Bein Sports 1 and 2. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
UK, Ireland: TV: BBC One, BBC Wales. Radio: BBC Radio 5 Live. Live Streaming: BBCiPlayer.
Ukraine: Belarus 5, Kanal Ukrayina.
Austria: ZDF, HRT 2, ORF 1. Live Streaming: ORF TV.
Hungary: M4 Sports.
Poland: Polsat Sport 2 HD, Belarus 5, TV P1. Live Streaming: TVP Sport.
Slovakia: TV: HRT and STV.
USA: TV: ESPN 2 and ESPN 3. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN.
Canada: TV: TSN and RDS. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
Australia: TV: Bein Sports and SBS One. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
Germany: TV: ZDF and ORF.
Latin America: TV: DirecTV.
China and Hong Kong: TV: CCTV and LeTV.
Thailand: TV: Channel 3.
Singapore: TV: Eleven Singapore and Singtel. Live Streaming: Singtel Go.
Malaysia: TV: Astro.
Middle East and North Africa: TV: Bein Sports Max. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa: TV: SuperSport 3. Live Streaming: SuperSport.
