Gareth Southgate and his England squad will return to Wembley following their 2-1 win against Italy in Naples to face Ukraine on Sunday.
Ukraine narrowly missed the 2022 Qatar World Cup when losing to Wales 1-0 in the European play-offs, and will be determined not to miss out on a consecutive tournament.
The last time these two international teams met the Three Lions dominated Ukraine with a 4-0 victory in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals thanks to a brace from all-time scorer Harry Kane, who surpassed Wayne Rooney’s record on Thursday, and efforts from Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson.
Ukraine have only beaten England on one occasion, in 2009, when Robert Green became the first Three Lions goalkeeper to be sent off, awarding Andriy Shevchenko a penalty in which he scored sending David James the wrong way.
Fabio Capello’s men had already qualified and secured their ticket to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup, but their undefeated record failed to remain intact.
Rooney came close to equalising very late into the game but his low driven shot was off target.
How to watch England vs Ukraine
- Date Sunday 26 March
- Kick-off 5.00pm GMT
- TV Channel 4, coverage starts at 4pm
- Live stream Channel 4 online
England on Channel 4
Channel 4 won the rights to broadcast England’s European Qualifiers and Uefa Nations League matches last year.
The deal means all England matches will be shown live on free-to-air television until 2024. In total, 20 live England men’s matches will be shown on Channel 4 between 2022 and 2024.
Southgate is aiming to go one better than the previous Euros in 2021 when England finished runners-up, losing to Italy on penalties.
He signed a deal that prolonged his time with the squad through to December 2024 and hinted that lifting England men’s first trophy since the 1966 World Cup may convince him to extend his contract, saying: “Well that depends if we win… Let’s hope we’ve got that opportunity to make that decision.”
England are a squad motivated by their previous failing at the highest level, which often comes in the most heartbreaking ways, exiting two of the last three tournaments following missed penalties.
Three Ukraine players to watch
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Arguably Arsenal’s most important player this season and the perfect representation of “Arteta ball”. Commonly labeled as an inverted full-back, his role in the squad is much more than that, often appearing high up the field as a way to sustain pressure. His technique is near flawless, dribbling in tight spaces and progressing the ball through the midfield.
Mykhailo Mudryk
He may be having a slow start to life at Chelsea but he still possesses the electric pace and directness to make any defender cautious. His first cameo in the Premier League versus Liverpool put people on notice as he displayed how much he can be a threat running with or without the ball.
Andriy Yarmolenko
The former West Ham player may be past his best but his left foot remains lethal as Hammers fans would know. A winger with a well-rounded game, able to pick out a pass, hold up or even stretch the play.
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