On Sunday, either Wales or Ukraine will become the 13th and final European team to qualify for FIFA World Cup 2022. The two proud nations clash in the play-off final at Cardiff City Stadium. And this match is as big as it gets. Don't miss the action. It will be telecast live.
Playing against the backdrop of war at home, this Ukraine national football team has exceeded all exceptions by making the 'final' on the road. And yet, the task is not done. Oleksandr Petrakov's men gave their all in the semi-final against Scotland, a 3-1 win. That emotional-charged match at Hampden Park tells only a part of the pain the Ukrainians are facing. Now, they want to beat Wales for their second World Cup qualification and make everyone proud in a war-torn country.
"Our team write to soldiers and received a flag from the war which they promised to hang in the dressing room," Petrakov said in Cardiff on Saturday. "It's a really hard situation in Ukraine and not everyone can watch football because of the situation but we will try to concentrate and play well."
Ukraine were quarter-finalists in the 2006 World Cup. After finishing second to Spain in the group stage, they beat Switzerland in the round of 16 on penalties, then lost to eventual champions Italy in the quarters.
Rob Page's Wales, also chasing their second World Cup appearance since 1958, defeated Austria 2-1 in the play-off semifinal, thanks to a Gareth Bale brace at Cardiff City Stadium. The hosts will hope for another magical performance from the talisman at the same venue.
Wales were unbeaten, but winless in the group stage of their maiden World Cup appearance. They finished second behind Sweden in Group 3 and progressed to the knock-out stage, where they were beaten by eventual champions Brazil in the quarter-finals.
Tonight's winners will join England, Iran and the USA in Group B of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Wales vs Ukraine, head-to-head record
This will be the fourth meeting between Wales and Ukraine. The first two matches, both in 2011, ended in 1-1 draws. In the last match, an Andriy Yarmolenko goal helped Ukraine win in the international friendly at FFU Training, Kiev.
Wales vs Ukraine, football match details
Match: Wales vs Ukraine, FIFA World Cup 2022, European qualifying play-off final.
Date: June 5 (Sunday), 2022
Time: 9:30 PM IST/5:00 PM Local
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
How to watch Wales vs Ukraine, UEFA qualifying play-off final
Wales vs Ukraine, FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying play-off final will be telecast live on Sony Network. Live streaming Wales vs Ukraine football match will be available on Sony LIV and JioTV.
Team News
"It's a massive game. There's no hiding it," said Wales captain Gareth Bale. "We have only played in one World Cup. This is a stepping stone we want to take to play on the biggest level. We're desperate to win to achieve our goal."
Bale, who just left Real Madrid after a trophy-laden but often testing stint, is the highest high-profile player in the fixture. The 32-year-old can be devastating on his day, and the former Tottenham star is a big game player.
And Wales are full strength. Aaron Ramsey, another veteran, will be expected to play a key role, even as Ben Davies, Joe Allen, and Daniel James do the running.
Ukraine will never be at full strength as long as the war continues and until the Russian occupation ends. But they are a determined lot. And in Oleksandr Zinchenko, who is all set to get his 50th cap, Andriy Yarmolenko, Roman Yaremchuk and Artem Dovbyk, they have players of international pedigree.
Likely starting XIs
Wales: Wayne Hennessey; Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, Ben Davies; Connor Roberts, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen, Ashley Williams; Harry Wilson, Gareth Bale, Daniel James.
Ukraine: Heorhii Bushchan; Vitalii Mykolenko, Illia Zabarnyi, Mykola Matvienko, Oleksandr Karavaev; Taras Stepanenko, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Viktor Tsygankov, Andriy Yarmolenko, Roman Yaremchuk..
And here are the European teams that have already qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2022: Germany, Denmark, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland, Netherlands, Portugal and Poland.
