Ukraine v Belarus background
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Article summary
With Spain hosting Slovakia elsewhere in Group C, Ukraine have an opportunity to close the gap on the leading sides, with Belarus their guests in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying.
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Article body
With Spain hosting Slovakia, Ukraine have a great opportunity to close the gap on the leading sides in Group C as they welcome Belarus in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying.
Previous meetings
• Aleksandr Martynovich's own goal and a late strike by substitute Serhiy Sydorchuk earned Ukraine a 2-0 away win when they first tackled Belarus in Group C back in October 2014.
• Ukraine's record in eight games against Belarus now reads W4 D3 L1 – or W3 D2 L0 in competitive fixtures.
• Belarus have yet to score in five competitive outings against Ukraine – though two of the matches ended in 0-0 draws.
• The sole Belarusian victory over Ukraine came in a 2002 friendly tournament in Moscow, the late Valentin Belkevich and Aleksandr Hleb getting the goals in a 2-0 success.
Disciplinary
• Ukraine defender Olexandr Kucher and midfielder Sydorchuk are both a booking away from a suspension.
• Belarus duo Maksim Bordachev misses out due to a one-match ban. Timofei Kalachou, Aleksandr Martynovich and Igor Shitov are all a booking away from a suspension.
Form guide
• Ukraine have lost only one of their last eight competitive home games (W6 D1 L1), conceding just twice during that run.
• Belarus's 2-1 win in FYR Macedonia in their last Group C away assignment halted a sequence of ten competitive away matches without a win (D3 L7) since a sensational 1-0 defeat of France in a UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier on 3 September 2010.
Trivia and links
• The four UEFA age-group tournament meetings between these countries have ended in four Ukrainian wins, most recently a 4-1 victory for the Under-17s in 2006.
• Thus far, the Ukrainian team has won seven of the nine meetings between the two nations' clubs – with Belarus's sole success coming in the first encounter as FC Shakhtar Donetsk lost 2-1 at home to FC Ataka-Aura Minsk in the 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
• Players on both sides will have rather fresher memories of FC BATE Borisov's tussles with Shakhtar last season; the Ukrainian outfit triumphed 7-0 away and 5-0 at home in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
