Ukraine vs North Macedonia Odds & Prediction – Euro 2020 Group C June 17th

• Ukraine aims to rebound from a heartbreaking loss to Netherlands when they battle Euro debutants North Macedonia on Thursday as betting afavorites
• Both these squads need points to remain in contention for a knockout stage berth, but a draw is unlikely to be enough to keep North Macedonia in the hunt
• We’ve got you covered with all the odds and trends ahead of Thursday morning’s Group C clash in Bucharest

Two teams desperate for points to stay in the hunt for a berth in the Euro 2020 knockout stage clash on Thursday morning as Ukraine takes North Macedonia as -155 favorites. Ukraine is coming off a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Netherlands in their group stage opener, extending their losing streak in European championship play to six matches since 2012.

The Blue and Yellow remain deadlocked at the bottom of the Group C table with North Macedonia, who return to action on Thursday as lengthy +480 underdogs. The Lions are coming off a 3-1 loss in their Euro debut, ending an impressive four-match unbeaten streak, and are also winless in four previous meetings with Ukraine.

Here’s a look at all the odds and trends ahead of this key Group C matchup, set for Thursday morning at 9:00 am ET at Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania.

Ukraine vs North Macedonia Euro 2020 Odds

Odds as of June 16 at FanDuel

Ukraine Poised to End Euro Slide

Denied the win after staging an improbable comeback in their group stage opener against Netherlands, Ukraine will be aiming to atone for Sunday’s narrow 3-2 loss to the Dutch when they battle North Macedonia for the first time in six years. Currently holding a tenuous grasp on a knockout stage berth in the wake of that defeat, the Blue and Yellow can strengthen their hand considerably with a third straight victory over North Macedonia.

🤯 5 second-half goals in Amsterdam!

🇳🇱🆚🇺🇦 Netherlands vs Ukraine = _______

⚽️⏰5⃣2⃣ Wijnaldum
⚽️⏰5⃣9⃣ Weghorst
⚽️⏰7⃣5⃣ Yarmolenko
⚽️⏰7⃣9⃣ Yaremchuk
⚽️⏰8⃣5⃣ Dumfries #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/6FYZgpqlxu

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 13, 2021

Ukraine has not surrendered a goal over their past two meetings with the Lions, both of which took place during Euro 2016 qualifying. More importantly, the squad has enjoyed a steady offensive touch in recent outings, scoring seven total goals in their past three overall contests, including clean sheet wins over North Ireland and Cyprus in pre-tournament friendlies.

Yaremchuk, Yarmolenko Sparking Attack

Roman Yaremchuk has provided Ukraine with a spark on offense. The 25-year-old striker is coming off a career year with Gent of the Belgian Pro League, where he potted 20 goals in 34 appearances. Yaremchuk has also found the back of the net in three of his past four appearances with Ukraine’s national team, and led the club in goalscoring during Euro 2020 qualifying, tallying four markers in seven appearances.

🇺🇦Roman Yaremchuk has been in fantastic form this season.

For Gent 🇧🇪
34 Matches played ✅
20 Goals ⚽
7 Assists 🅰️

He will be the main man for #UKR ahead of #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/FOClzP7Gdf

— First Time Finish (@firsttimefinish) June 11, 2021

Andrii Yarmolenko has also been a steady producer for the Blue Yellow. The 31-year-old veteran sparked Ukraine’s comeback bid against the Dutch with the squad’s first marker in Sunday’s contest. And after potting three total goals over his past two outings with the national team, Yarmolenko sports intriguing +175 odds to find the back of the net on Thursday morning.

Ukraine vs North Macedonia Head-to-Head Stats

Draw Not Enough for North Macedonia

While the Ukrainians seek to solidify their grasp on a spot in the round of 16 with a win on Thursday, North Macedonia have work to do to return to the hunt. While the squad remains within striking distance of a spot above the line among third-place finishers in group stage action, their multi-goal loss to Austria on Sunday likely means that a draw will all but end their hopes of advancing out of Group C.

Historic moment: North Macedonia, population 2 million, smaller than Houston, TX, scores equalizer in first ever major tournament. Goal scored by 37-year old Goran Pandev who’s represented nation for 20 years dreaming of this day. Human poetry of Sports 🇲🇰 pic.twitter.com/q0gxo8Vuam

— roger bennett (@rogbennett) June 13, 2021

The question now is whether the Lions can rediscover the offensive touch that helped the squad avoid defeat in the four matches immediately preceding this tournament. North Macedonia averaged three goals per game while compiling a 3-1-0 win-draw-loss record in four outings across all competitions prior to Sunday’s loss, and scored multiple goals in five of their previous seven outings.

Distributed Scoring Key to Lions’ Success

With nowhere to go but up, North Macedonia will be hoping to get continued offensive contributions from up and down the lineup. Six players have combined to score eight goals over the squad’s past four outings. However, North Macedonia’s success will likely hinge on the play of forward Aleksandar Trajkovski.

42nd minute: Trajkovski gets a yellow card for an elbow on an aerial duel.

You see those types of things all the time. The Austrian defender sold that by staying down, and now Trajkovski has to be careful the rest of the way.

Oh look, the defender is now good and runs back in. pic.twitter.com/UKIxbRbdlo

— Macedonian Football (@MacedonianFooty) June 13, 2021

The 28-year-old has been key to North Macedonia’s recent success in World Cup qualifying, scoring three times in three outings. But after being held off the scoresheet in each of his past four national team appearances, and receiving a yellow card in Sunday’s loss to Austria, the Mallorca striker sports long +500 odds of ending his scoring drought on Thursday morning.

The Picks: Ukraine -1 (+185); OVER 2.5 (+106)