The final countdown to UEFA Euro 2024 has officially begun as we approach a string of highly anticipated international friendlies. Some of the nations that are playing this week are heading for the big tournament and others aren’t, but either way, it’s important for all of them to try and build some momentum. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the impending clash between Moldova and Ukraine.

After years of being viewed as minnows and little more, Moldova are starting to be acknowledged as a team that isn’t going to roll over. They have strength, they have grit, and all they need is to find some consistency in front of goal and they could be off to the races - or, in this case, off to a big tournament at some point in the not so distant future.

In Group E, Moldova only lost two of their eight games - which is pretty impressive considering they were taking on the likes of Albania, Czech Republic and Poland. They wound up with 10 points and finished in 4th, but they were only five points off of Czechia who were in 2nd.

It goes without saying that the Ukrainian national team has been through a lot, as can be said for the country as a whole. In the football sense, however, they need to bounce back after failing to qualify for the World Cup. They have the quality necessary to spring a few surprises, but what they appear to be lacking is some real team cohesion to help transform them into something new.

Following on from a third place finish in their qualifying group, Ukraine were forced to go through the dreaded playoffs. However, they actually managed them quite nicely, defeating Bosnia 2-1 in their semi-final before proceeding to edge past Iceland 2-1 in the final just days later.

In a game like this, the whole point is to do everything in your power to make an impact - but at the same time, there are far more important matches that lie ahead. At the same time, we do expect it to be an entertaining game with plenty of chances, which is why we’re still going to back over 2.5 goals scored.