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Italy v Ukraine
The Ukraine have done very well up to this point,
mainly down to their miserly defence. They haven't
conceded a goal since they were hammered 4-0 by
Spain in the opening game, and you have to say Italy
will have their work cut out if they are to reach
the semis. Led by inspirational Shevchenko, this is
the furthest Ukraine have ever been in the World Cup
competition and they will be all up for this one.
They scraped through in their last game against
Switzerland, winning the penalty shootout 3-0 after
the game ended 0-0.
Italy themselves haven't overly impressed in the
competition. Of course they have the experience of
reaching these stages on numerous occasions, but
they were disappointing in their last match against
Australia, where Totti scored a 92nd penalty, which
was a dubious decision to say the least.
Their defence, like Ukraine has also looked
pretty solid, conceding only once against the USA.
However they will be missing Nesta and Materazzi at
the back, and both these players, especially
Materazzi have caught the eye. Going forward, they
haven't really set the world on fire, and they are
going to find the back four of Ukraine tough to
break down.
I think the Ukraine can do well in this game. I'm
sure they will play a tight defensive game, and it
remains to be seen if the Italians can up their
game. In their last game, Australia were extremely
unlucky not to take the Italians to extra time, and
lets remember Italy have a history of getting
knocked out on penalties. Due to Ukraine's excellent
defensive record, I'm tipping them to take Italy all
the way to pens. Of course, penalties can go either
way, and its really a toss of a coin. This game
won't be pretty, but I think the value lies with the
method of victory, where you can get 14/1 for
Ukraine to win on pens, or 13/1 for Italy to win on
pens.
Its going to be an ugly game I think, with both
teams very cagey. Go for the penalties option.
remember, Italy always get knocked out of World Cups
by penalties don't they?
Pick: Ukraine to win on pens @ 14/1; Italy to win
on pens @ 13/1 |
