Romania vs Ukraine EURO 2024 Group E Matchday 1 preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, possible line-ups

Romania and Ukraine meet in their first match of UEFA EURO 2024 in Group E on Monday 17 June.

Where to watch Romania vs Ukraine on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA EURO 2024 broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

Romania are taking part in their sixth EURO, but their first since 2016, while Ukraine are playing in a fourth consecutive UEFA European Championship. Both coaches, however – Edward Iordănescu and Serhiy Rebrov – are taking charge at a major tournament for the first time, and it will be a poignant moment for Iordănescu to become the first coach in the Romania dug-out at a EURO since his father Anghel in 2016.

The Tricolorii had a fine qualifying campaign, topping their group and remaining unbeaten to reach the finals while conceding only five goals across ten matches. Ukraine held their own before finishing third behind England and Italy, then coming on strong in the play-offs to eliminate Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland – all four of their goals in those ties arriving in the second half, including three in the final six minutes. So prepare for late drama!

Possible line-ups

Romania: Niță; Rațiu, Drăgușin, Burcă, Bancu; Răzvan Marin, Marius Marin, Stanciu; Man, Draguş, Mihăila

Ukraine: Lunin; Konoplia, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Zinchenko; Shaparenko, Stepanenko, Sudakov; Tsygankov, Dovbyk, Mudryk

Form guide

Romania:
Form (all competitions, most recent first): DDLDWW

Ukraine:
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WLDWWD

Expert predictions

Cristina Tache, Romania reporter

Iordănescu is having a tough time choosing his starting XI. Horațiu Moldovan seemed set to start in goal but 36-year-old Florin Niță may have earned a starting place for his nation's EURO return. Centre-back Radu Dragușin will lead the defence, while captain Nicolae Stanciu is a reliable presence. Andrei Burcă seems certain to start alongside Dragușin while Man, Draguş and Mihăilă will look to provide the cutting edge up front.

Bogdan Buga, Ukraine reporter

In their last two EURO appearances, Ukraine started with losses, albeit against heavyweights Germany and the Netherlands. This time, a victory seems like a must if they are to progress. Rebrov and his squad certainly aren't underestimating their opponents."We respect our opponents and must play our best football to succeed," said Oleksandr Zinchenko. This Ukraine side is brimming with potential, incredible energy and motivation. They also know how to adjust tactically and stay patient when needed. I won't predict the outcome, I'm confident Rebrov's team will deliver a performance to be proud of.

What the coaches say

Edward Iordănescu, Romania coach: "What I promise the fans – and I say this very sincerely – is that this group will give everything on the pitch. Our opponents will have our full respect from the beginning, but we want to make sure things go our way. We respect them. Their coach has achieved incredible results, but when kick-off comes a lot of these things don't matter anymore. Our nervousness is part of what is happening at this tournament. We have to channel it into positive energy."

Serhiy Rebrov, Ukraine coach: "I think it's very important for Ukraine to be on this stage. In our country, football is not only first place. It's a difficult time, but being on the pitch gives the players great pleasure. Romania have done very well of late. They have some very good young players. They are clearly a team who understand what they have at their disposal. They have very fast players, which basically got them through to EURO 2024."