Match: World Cup Qualifying - Europe
Fixture: Ukraine vs. Sweden
Local Kick-off Time: Mar 26, 2026 7.45pm
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ODDS
| Category | Selection | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1X2 | 1 | 2.80 |
| 1X2 | X | 3.00 |
| 1X2 | 2 | 2.45 |
| Asian Handicap | 0 | 2.05 |
| Asian Handicap | 0 | 1.75 |
| Goals (Scored) | Goals | 2/2.5 |
| Goals (Scored) | Over | 1.85 |
| Goals (Scored) | Under | 1.95 |
| Corners | Corners | 9.5 |
| Corners | Over | 1.90 |
| Corners | Under | 1.80 |
Prediction: Sweden -0.25
Sweden face major squad issues for this match, as Kulusevski and Isak both fail to recover in time — a huge blow for an already inconsistent side.
Ukraine play at a neutral venue with a relatively full squad. In essence, this is a duel between Zabarnyi and Gyokeres.
For this tight contest, the Asian handicap sets away-side Sweden at -0.25 goals, and Sweden have a strong chance of winning.
Comprehensive Prediction Analysis:
Ukraine
Given that every match during World Cup qualifying effectively took place away from home, Ukraine reaching the playoffs was an admirable achievement for Rebrov’s team.
The national side’s only two defeats came against France, who reached the final in both 2018 and 2022 — winning the former — and were always likely to top Group D. The upshot of Ukraine’s inability to outdo Les Bleus is that they have once again failed to qualify automatically for the World Cup finals, with their only appearance remaining Germany 2006, when they reached the quarter-finals.
Only once in that period — before the 2018 tournament — have they failed to make the playoffs, ultimately losing to Greece in 2010, France in 2014 and Wales before the finals in Qatar. Given that they are favourites to get the better of Sweden, it will be interesting to see if the national team can inflict further misery on Potter’s men and set up a playoff final with Poland or Albania.
| Date/Competition | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/11/17 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Ukraine | 2-0 (HT 0-0 FT 2-0) | Iceland |
| 2025/11/14 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | France | 4-0 (HT 0-0 FT 4-0) | Ukraine |
| 2025/10/14 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Ukraine | 2-1 (HT 1-1 FT 2-1) | Azerbaijan |
| 2025/10/11 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Iceland | 3-5 (HT 1-3 FT 3-5) | Ukraine |
| 2025/09/10 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Azerbaijan | 1-1 (HT 0-0 FT 1-1) | Ukraine |
| 2025/09/06 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Ukraine | 0-2 (HT 0-1 FT 0-2) | France |
| 2025/06/11 International Friendly | New Zealand | 1-2 (HT 0-0 FT 1-2) | Ukraine |
| 2025/06/08 International Friendly | Canada | 4-2 (HT 3-0 FT 4-2) | Ukraine |
| 2025/03/24 UEFA Nations League | Belgium | 3-0 (HT 0-0 FT 3-0) | Ukraine |
| 2025/03/21 UEFA Nations League | Ukraine | 3-1 (HT 0-1 FT 3-1) | Belgium |
Sweden
Potter has been in charge of Sweden for only two matches, and the Englishman heads into Thursday’s tie aiming to rectify the nation’s previous mishaps.
The former Chelsea head coach inherited a side in dire straits in qualifying, with Jon Dahl Tomasson given the heave-ho after a shock 1-0 loss to Kosovo in October. Potter’s first game, against Switzerland, ended in a 4-1 hammering, but the Blue and Yellow secured a 1-1 draw in their final match of the series, with Gustav Lundgren scoring an 87th-minute equaliser to prevent a fifth consecutive defeat.
Despite their ostensible attacking talent — including Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak and Anthony Elanga — Sweden scored only four times, while conceding 12 at the other end, underlining their problems in both boxes. That is a far cry from the side that netted 19 and let in four in their Nations League C section, although they were beneficiaries of facing lower-ranked opponents. Ranked 42nd in the world, Potter’s team now bid to take down the 30th-ranked nation and reach next week’s Path B playoff final.
| Date/Competition | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/11/19 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Sweden | 1-1 (HT 0-0 FT 1-1) | Slovenia |
| 2025/11/16 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Switzerland | 4-1 (HT 1-1 FT 4-1) | Sweden |
| 2025/10/14 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Sweden | 0-1 (HT 0-1 FT 0-1) | Kosovo |
| 2025/10/11 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Sweden | 0-2 (HT 0-0 FT 0-2) | Switzerland |
| 2025/09/09 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Kosovo | 2-0 (HT 2-0 FT 2-0) | Sweden |
| 2025/09/06 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | Slovenia | 2-2 (HT 0-1 FT 2-2) | Sweden |
| 2025/06/11 International Friendly | Sweden | 4-3 (HT 2-0 FT 4-3) | Algeria |
| 2025/06/07 International Friendly | Hungary | 0-2 (HT 0-0 FT 0-2) | Sweden |
| 2025/03/26 International Friendly | Sweden | 5-1 (HT 2-0 FT 5-1) | Northern Ireland |
| 2025/03/23 International Friendly | Luxembourg | 1-0 (HT 1-0 FT 1-0) | Sweden |
Final Prediction:
Asian Handicap: Sweden -0.25
European Handicap: Away Win
Predicted Scores: 0-1, 0-2, 1-2
Predicted Total Goals: 1, 2, 3
This content provides sports news and pre-match analysis for fan discussion only. Sports events involve uncertainties; actual results shall prevail.
