First-half wins for the home side (at home) – 0; for the visitors (away) – 0; number of draws – 0

Ukraine and Albania are gearing up for a friendly match scheduled for March 31. Both teams, having fallen short in the recent World Cup qualification semi-finals, will face off against each other. Bookmakers do not see a clear favorite here, though they give a slight edge to the Ukrainians. The history of head-to-head encounters between the teams plays a significant role in this, which we’ll discuss further.

Over the past decade, the national teams have faced each other four times, with Ukraine coming out on top in three of those encounters. Notably, both sides found the net in each match, consistently hitting the over on the total goals line.

The team’s last official match took place on as part of the World Cup qualifiers, with Ukraine hosting Sweden. The match ended with a 1-3 scoreline.

Here’s the match statistics (Ukraine vs Sweden):

possession: 68% vs 32%;
corners: 9 vs 3;
fouls: 12 vs 10;
yellow cards: 2 vs 1;
shots on target: 4 vs 4.

Ukraine are navigating a challenging period: out of their last five matches, they have triumphed in three but suffered two defeats with a cumulative score of 1-7. Under Serhiy Rebrov’s guidance, Ukraine advanced to the World Cup qualification playoffs, securing second place in their group behind France (0-2; 0-4). However, they faced Sweden with significant squad issues. This resulted in a well-deserved 1-3 defeat, with Ukraine’s solitary goal coming at the very end when the match outcome was already decided.

The visitors’ last official match took place on in a World Cup qualifier between Poland (home) and Albania (away). The game concluded with a 2-1 scoreline.

Here’s the match statistics (Albania vs Poland):

possession: 50% vs 50%;
corners: 2 vs 6;
fouls: 12 vs 20;
yellow cards: 3 vs 2;
shots on target: 2 vs 4.

Albania have maintained a consistent pattern in their recent matches: three consecutive wins followed by two losses, indicating a dip in form. At the end of the group stage of the qualifiers, Sylvinho’s squad fell to England (0-2), and just a few days ago, they missed out on a World Cup spot. The Albanians took the lead against Poland thanks to Arber Hoxha and even won the first half, but it wasn’t enough to secure victory (1-2). The “Eagles” lacked the finesse to capitalize on one of the dangerous counterattacks they created.

Head-to-head matches:

Total encounters – 2;
First-half wins for the home side (at home) – 0; for the visitors (away) – 0; number of draws – 0;
Average first-half total: 1;
Today’s home team averages 1 goals in the first half, while the away team scores 0.