Both sides will have a point to prove as they look to get a headstart on one another.

The Dutch will be without Virgil Van Dijk for the whole of Euro 2020 as he is still recovering from his cruciate injury.

Instead, Mathijs De Ligt will be partnered by Inter Milan’s Stefan De Vrij.

A three-man defence was used in the warm-up games and that also included Ajax youngster Jurrien Timber.

Furthermore, Owen Wijndal will be a tricky customer on the left-hand side while Gini Wijnaldum will play as a 10.

The latter has scored four times in his last seven games for his national side, per Transfermarkt.

Memphis Depay has the most important summer of his career ahead of him.

Happy to see the fans in the stadium yesterday pic.twitter.com/ZRUZQt9pOJ

— Memphis Depay (@Memphis) June 7, 2021

Therefore, he will want to make the most of it.

Andriy Shevchenko’s Ukraine has impressed in the build-up to Euro 2020.

The Eastern European nation has impressed against Spain and France, among others.

In comparison, the Netherlands will not be as tough of an ask for the yellow and blue.

36-year-old captain Andriy Pyatov will wear his heart on his sleeve in goal.

A dogged defence will provide support for him and Oleksandr Zinchenko will play higher up the pitch.

The trio of Ruslan Malinovskyi, Roman Yaremchuk and Andriy Yarmolenko will be tough assignments for the Netherlands back three.

Predicted Lineups

Netherlands (3-5-2): Tim Krul; Stefan De Vrij, Jurrien Timbers, Mathijs De Ligt; Denzel Dumfries, Frenkie De Jong, Gini Wijnaldum, Marten De Roon, Owen Wijndal; Memphis Depay, Wout Weghorst.

Ukraine: (4-1-4-1): Andriy Pyatov; Oleksandr Karavaev, Ilya Zabarnyi, Mykola Matvienko, Vitaliy Mykolenko; Taras Stepanenko; Andriy Yarmlenko, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Oleksandr Zubkov; Roman Yaremchuk.

Betting

Netherlands 8/13

Draw 5/2

Ukraine 5/1

Prediction

Netherlands 1-1 Ukraine

The post Euro 2020: Netherlands v Ukraine – Preview, Predictions and Betting appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Austria, Netherlands, North Macedonia, and Ukraine make up the third group of Euro 2020 this summer. 

The group may be the least exciting on paper but there are reasons to be excited about it.

AUSTRIA

Austria will be hoping to live up to expectations this time around after a bitterly disappointing Euro 2016 campaign saw them finish bottom of their group.

The Austrian squad for this summer’s championship is full of players at the height of their career.

Austria’s talisman David Alaba will be very important for the side.

He is expected to play a more attacking role than he did for Bayern Munich this past season.

A stacked midfield also includes Bundesliga stars Marcel Sabitzer and Konrad Laimer.

Former West Ham star Marko Arnautovic will lead the line for the Austrians, possibly alongside Sabitzer or Sasa Kalajdzic.

An experienced defence will sit in front of Watford’s Daniel Bachmann, who is heading to the Euros after a successful season with the Hornets.

A ball-dominant display against England gave fans a sneak-peek at their attacking intent.

NETHERLANDS

The Netherlands is in a major tournament for the first time since their 2014 World Cup run which saw them finish third.

The side had looked to be one of the tournament favourites when Ronald Koeman was in charge, but with the loss of both him and Virgil Van Dijk, that idea has faded.

A 4-2 loss to Turkey in March exposed their weaknesses.

There are still many world-class players involved in the squad – Memphis Depay, Georginio Wijnaldum and Mathijs De Ligt to name a few – but they tend to make it look harder than it needs to be.

Young talents such as Owen Wijndal and Ryan Gravenberch could shine if given the chance, but the tactical shortcomings of their current manager Frank de Boer handicap the side.

Nonetheless, their home advantage in all three group games will help them along the way.

They should progress past the group stage, but an upset is always possible against this Dutch side.

NORTH MACEDONIA

North Macedonia are the lowest-ranked side in the European Championships this summer.

Entering through the Nations League’s bottom-tier playoff, they will be cast aside by many pundits before kicking a ball.

However, their recent victory over the German national side shows what they are capable of.

Manager Igor Angelovski sets up his side in a defensive  5-3-2 formation but they can be lethal in attack. 

Napoli’s Elif Elmas and 37-year-old Goran Pandev are very important to the side.

Although it is a slimmer chance than the other three teams, the North Macedonians could enjoy some knockout international football this summer.

UKRAINE

Ukraine is the final team involved in Group C.

The side has crept back into the spotlight of European football under the management of Andriy Shevchenko.

Wins against Portugal and Spain have given the side a lot of attention.

Furthermore, the side cruised to the top spot in their qualifying group.

Their squad for the Euros is a youthful group with several veterans also present.

The side is one of the dark horses at the tournament and could impress neutrals.

Oleksandr Zinchenko and Mykola Matvienko will be crucial in defence with Gregory Bushchan in goal behind them.

Ukraine soaks up pressure against the stronger sides in Europe and unleashes their attacking force of Yarmolenko, Yaremchuk and Malinovskyi on others.

Shevchenko’s side can progress, but this group is tighter than it appears.

Group C Fixtures: Austria v North Macedonia Sunday, 13th June 17:00. Netherlands v Ukraine Sunday, 13th June 20:00. Ukraine v North Macedonia Thursday, 17th June 14:00. Netherlands v Austria Thursday, 17th June 20:00. Ukraine v Austria Monday, 21st June 17:00. North Macedonia v Netherlands Monday, 21st June 17:00.

ENDS

The post Preview: Euro 2020 Group C appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Andrew Conway has signed a three year deal which will now see him at the club till at least July 2023. Conway has been super for the province since arriving from Leinster. He has made 142 appearances and has played on the wing and in the full back position. At 28 years of age he is third in the Munster roll of honour in terms of  top try scorers. He has scored 43 tries since making his debut against Zebre 7 years ago. Moreover, at International level Conway scored three tries in the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

Billy Holland has also put pen to paper on a new deal. Holland has signed a one year contract extension. The 34 year old has made 226 appearances for the club. Holland has been a stalwart for the club and is in his 13th season. He has made a super start to the season for the Red Army, starting in 12 out of 14 games.

Furthermore, Jeremy Loughman who plays as prop with the club has also signed a new contract. He has signed a two year deal. This will keep him at Thomond Park till June 2022. The 24 year old Kildare man made his debut in 2018 and has gone on to make 36 appearances for the province. He was selected as man of the match on debut against Ospreys in the Champions Cup.

Head coach Johann Van Graan was delighted with the news that the trio of players signed contracts. Commenting on this he said, “Retaining the services of Andrew, Billy and Jeremy is again great news for Munster Rugby and for our plans for the future”. He continued, “They are a quality trio, that all add huge value to our squad with their own individual skills and experience”.

Munster take on Zebre this Friday at 7.35pm at the Stade Giovanni Mari.

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