2026-2027 Nations League: Ukraine vs. Northern Ireland, Probable Lineups

Ukraine and Northern Ireland will face off on Friday evening at 8:45 p.m. at a neutral venue in Trnava, Slovakia, for a match counting toward Matchday 3 of Group 2 in League B of the 2026-2027 Nations League. The match pits the two teams that remain undefeated in the group against each other: Maldera’s squad, following its opening-match victory in Hungary, earned a scoreless draw in Georgia; Northern Ireland also has 4 points thanks to a win in Georgia and a home draw against Hungary.

Ukraine head coach Andrea Maldera is fielding Sikan alongside Yaremchuk up front, with Zubkov and Mykhailichenko on the wings. The three midfielders will be Pikhalionok, Nazaryna, and Khlan.

Northern Ireland fields a front three of Price, Donley, and Kelly, with Hume and Devenny on the wings. Galbraith and Shea Charles are the two midfielders.

Ukraine vs. Northern Ireland: Probable Lineups
Ukraine (3-5-2): Trubin; Bondar, Sarapii, Mykhavko; Zubkov, Pikhalionok, Nazaryna, Khlan, Mykhailichenko; Sikan, Yaremchuk.
Northern Ireland (3-4-3): P. Charles; Atcheson, McConville, Brown; Hume, Galbraith, S. Charles, Devenny; Price, Donley, Kelly.

Northern Ireland head coach Michael O’Neill responded at a press conference to critics who say his team plays “old-fashioned” soccer: “They say we’re a physical team and that we rely heavily on long balls, but if you look at how we’re developing as a team and the type of players we’re bringing in, you’ll see that we’re playing in the style of modern soccer. Even in the Premier League, you can see that teams are playing deeper now because opposing teams press high. We do the same, yet we tend to be labeled as a team that favors long balls.”