Germany Vs Ukraine 2016 Soccer Game Preview

Whenever we head into a major international soccer tournament, there are always a few teams who are instantly considered favorites beforehand. As always, Germany, who have won the European Championships on 3 separate occasions are among the betting odds favorites to win it all, but they are not really looking like the powerhouse that they have been in the past. Ukraine look as though they are going to be the toughest challenge for the Germans in Group C, with Poland and Northern Ireland the other members of the group. Germany should cruise through this lot, but they have been a little shaky since winning the World Cup in 2012, and while they did win their qualifying group, it was not the smooth sailing that many expected. This should be a good test for both teams, as it’s expected that both will move on to the knock-out stages. They may be happy with a draw in this one, but both know that a win would put them very much in the driver’s seat.

Germany Vs Ukraine 2016 Soccer Game Preview

When: Sunday, June 12 at 3 PM EST Where: Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille TV: ESPN Live Stream: Watch ESPN Euro 2016 Odds: TBA  

Why bet on Germany

Much has been made about how up and down the Germans have been since winning the World Cup, but this is a team that always seems to raise their game when the stakes are the highest. The Germans have a few injuries to worry about ahead of the tournament, but have a deep squad of players that really shouldn’t miss a beat. After all, when you have the likes of Mezut Ozil and Thomas Muller pulling the strings, there is always reason to be optimistic. Germany have played 4 games against Ukraine over the years, and are unbeaten with 2 wins and 2 draws. You really need to like their chances here, although it’s not the easiest opening game they could have asked for.

Why bet on Ukraine

This is new ground for Ukraine, as it is only the second time they have made it to a major tournament through qualification. They featured in the last Euros, but that was because they were co-hosts with Poland. Ukraine took the long road to the Euros, as they had to go the playoff route, where they were able to pretty easily take care of Slovenia. They have only lost 2 games in their last 17, with both of those defeats coming against Spain during their qualifying campaign. Their warm-up games in the past couple of months have seen them come into a rich vein of form, and they are considered one of the dark horses of the tournament. Any sort of decent result against Germany could set them up nicely for the rest of the tournament.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

As good as Ukraine have been of late, they still have some big question marks on the defensive side of the ball. That is something that the Germans should be able to take advantage of on the way to an opening game win. Germany 2 Ukraine 1