Ukraine vs Georgia

Stadion Poznan sets the stage for a high-stakes UEFA Nations League showdown between Ukraine and Georgia.

Ukraine’s hopes of returning to League A for the first time since suffering relegation in the 2020/21 cycle could be dead in the water unless they get into the win column here. Serhiy Rebrov’s side experienced an awful start to their Group B1 campaign last month, with back-to-back high-scoring defeats to Albania and the Czech Republic pinning them to the bottom of the section. Forced to play their home matches in foreign lands due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Rebrov’s men seek amends for a disappointing group-stage exit at Euro 2024. The Ukrainians are no strangers to playing on Polish soil, but their underwhelming run of only two wins from their last eight internationals cannot inspire much confidence (D2, L4).

In the meantime, Georgia enjoyed a dream start to their maiden League B campaign in September, beating Albania and the Czech Republic via a combined score of 5-1 to set themselves up nicely for this fixture. However, history isn’t on their side in this match-up, with the Georgians failing to beat Ukraine in all nine previous meetings between the two former Soviet republics (D3, L6). However, Willy Sagnol’s men take this trip in a buoyant mood, sitting atop Group B1 after two rounds while extending their formidable unbeaten run in the Nations League to nine matches (W7, D2). Moreover, they’ve only lost three of their last 13 internationals (W8, D2), with two of those three defeats coming against Euro 2024 winners Spain.