Tuesday, June 10

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Sports Mole previews Tuesday's International Friendlies clash between New Zealand and Ukraine, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Having already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, New Zealand will welcome Ukraine to BMO Field for a friendly on Tuesday.

The All Whites can extend their winning run to eight matches this week, while the Blue and Yellow will be hoping to bounce back from consecutive losses.

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Match preview

Darren Bazeley's New Zealand were in excellent form during their World Cup qualifying campaign, and they continued their hot streak with a win last time out.

On Sunday, Elijah Just's first-half strike was enough to earn the All Whites a friendly win over Ivory Coast, and the manager will have been delighted to see his team keep their fourth straight clean sheet.

That victory took Bazeley's side's unbeaten run to eight games, and with only one defeat across their last 13 matches - a stretch that spans almost 15 months - they will be expecting to secure another positive result this week.

Adding to the hosts' sense of confidence will be their commendable home record that features eight wins in a row on their own turf, and having netted an impressive 34 goals across those clashes, fans could be treated to another dominant display.

That being said, New Zealand have consistently come up against low-ranking opposition, and Ukraine will represent arguably their toughest test in recent months.

Meanwhile, Serhiy Rebrov's Ukraine narrowly missed out on promotion to Nations League A when they were beaten 4-3 on aggregate by Belgium in their playoff, and they will be hoping to turn their fortunes around before focusing on their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Last time out, the Blue and Yellow followed up their playoff disappointment with a 4-2 loss at the hands of Canada, and the boss will be frustrated by the fact that his team had the majority of possession and more shots on target than their opponents but only managed to find the back of the net once they were 4-0 down. 

That defeat means that Rebrov's men have now won just two of their six most recent games, a 3-1 victory in the first leg of their playoff against Belgium and a 2-1 triumph over Albania at the end of 2024.

In order to kickstart some momentum before September's clash with France, the visitors will need to defy their travelling record that includes three losses, one draw and only one win from their last five away games, but having conceded seven times in their last two, their defence will have to improve. 

Getting back to winning ways could help to place Ukraine on an upward trajectory with autumn's World Cup qualifiers in mind, though a third consecutive defeat could cast doubt over their chances of making the tournament.

New Zealand International Friendlies form:

New Zealand form (all competitions):

Ukraine International Friendlies form:

Ukraine form (all competitions):

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Team News

New Zealand's forward line has been incredibly productive in recent matches, so expect to see striker Kosta Barbarouses start up top, supported from out wide by Callum McCowatt and Elijah Just.

In the centre of the park, Joe Bell will be joined by Sarpreet Singh and Marko Steminic, who assisted his side's winner on Sunday.

As for Ukraine, they could be without midfielder Mykola Shaparenko after he was taken off with an injury last time out, and Oleksandr Pikhalyonok could take his place in the XI.

Elsewhere, goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin was substituted in the second half against Canada, and Dmytro Riznyk may start on Tuesday as a result.

New Zealand possible starting lineup:

Crocombe; Bindon, Tuiloma, Surman, Cacace; Stamenic, Bell, Singh; Just, Barbarouses, McCowatt 

Ukraine possible starting lineup:

Riznyk; Matviyenko, Bondar, Zabarnyi, Tymchyk; Kalyuzhnyi; Tsygankov, Pikhalyonok, Zinchenko, Sudakov; Yaremchuk  

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We say: New Zealand 2-2 Ukraine

 

New Zealand have been consistent winners over the past year, but Ukraine will be a tough test for the hosts.

That being said, the visitors have been less than stellar on the road, and they are likely to concede more than once on Tuesday.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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