Ukraine vs. Spain: Date, Time, Live Stream for Euro 2016 Qualifier
Spain officially qualified for the Euro 2016 finals on Friday thanks to a 4-0 victory over Luxembourg, sealing their spot at the top of Group C, and will round off the fixture list with a visit to Ukraine on Monday.
Mykhaylo Fomenko's men are still in contention to qualify automatically for the tournament proper but must better Slovakia's result against Luxembourg on the night, likely meaning they need to beat La Furia Roja and hope their competitors slip up.
Should Ukraine fail to overcome the reigning champions and be forced to settle for third place, they can still qualify via a play-off, but the hosts will be going hell for leather to ensure nothing is left to chance.
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Date: Monday, October 12
Time: 7.45 p.m. BST / 2.45 p.m. ET
Venue: NSK Olimpiyskyi, Kyiv
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK)
Last 6 Results (Qualifiers Only)
Ukraine
Won 3-0 vs. Luxembourg (away)
Lost 1-0 vs. Spain (away)
Won 3-0 vs. Luxembourg (home)
Won 3-1 vs. Belarus (home)
Drew 0-0 vs. Slovakia (away)
Won 2-0 vs. Macedonia (away)
Spain
Won 3-0 vs. Belarus (home)
Won 1-0 vs. Ukraine (home)
Won 1-0 vs. Belarus (away)
Won 2-0 vs. Slovakia (home)
Won 1-0 vs. Macedonia (away)
Won 4-0 vs. Luxembourg (home)
Team News
Ukraine
Ukraine have twin rockets Yevhen Konoplyanka and Andriy Yarmolenko fit and available for this crunch clash and will lean on them offensively here. With Spain likely to monopolise possession, the two wingers' dribbling skills and rasping shots on the counter could prove decisive.
Yevhen Khacheridi (centre-back) and Sergey Sydorchuk (holding midfielder) are suspended, forcing Fomenko to change the formula a little in the centre, with Oleksandr Kucher and Denys Garmash the likely respective replacements.
Yevhen Seleznyov should start up front, though Artem Kravets has developed a knack of impacting off the bench in his place.
Spain
According to Marca it is Vicente Del Bosque's intention to allow all of the outfield players in the squad some action before they head back to their respective clubs. For that reason, expect some changes to the XI that beat Luxembourg.
Iker Casillas will drop out for David de Gea, and both David Silva and Alvaro Morata are unavailable due to injuries sustained on Friday evening. Nolito and Thiago Alcantara are both highly likely to enjoy some prolonged playing time, while Paco Alcacer is expected to start up front.
Marc Bartra started alongside potential captain-for-the-game Gerard Pique on Friday, but could bow out for Nacho or Xabi Etxeita.
Key Men
Ukraine: Yevhen Konoplyanka
Konoplyanka is Ukraine's overall best player, so expect the nation to look to him on Monday to cause an upset against reigning European champions Spain.
His remarkable dribbling skills, ability to burst into space and fearless shooting tendencies make him a true danger coming in off the left flank, and the Yellow-Blue will be looking to play quick balls out from the back to him so he can instigate attacks.
Whoever Del Bosque chooses at right-back—be it Juanfran or Cesar Azpilicueta—is in for a real examination.
Spain: Santi Cazorla
With Silva out injured, Cazorla seized the reins during Spain's win over Luxembourg and put in a dominant, controlling display. His two goals—sandwiched by Alcacer strikes in a 4-0 rout—were a just reward for his efforts.
Cazorla has been in phenomenal form for Arsenal in a deeper-lying central midfield role for the past 10-12 months, and now he's translating that to the international stage.
As questions over Cesc Fabregas mount, and with Del Bosque refusing to tinker too much with a side some say badly needs refreshing (despite all the wins), performances like these simply serve to rubber-stamp Cazorla's presence in La Furia Roja's final squad for Euro 2016.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Ukraine: 19/10
Draw: 5/2
Spain: 6/5
