Northern Ireland will be playing in a top of the table clash later today as they reach the midway point in their latest UEFA Nations League campaign.
Michael O’Neill’s side have four points from two matches in League B Group 2 – and their opponents also have four points. Both B2 top seeds Hungary and third seeds Georgia have a single point apiece just now.
So far Northern Ireland have defeated the Georgians away and drawn against Hungary at home, while Ukraine have defeated the Hungarians away and drawn against Georgia at home.
Ukraine are playing their ‘home’ games away from their country due to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.
Today’s encounter – it’s part three of a UNL quadruple header in September/October - is taking place in Slovakia at Štadión Antona Malatinského in Trnava (18.45 BST).
Northern Ireland go in to the game as underdogs, according to the Northern Ireland manager.
But O’Neill also insists his team are ready to go against the second seeds in the group.
He told media in the pre-match press conference that his squad are “in good shape” ahead of the game in Trnava.
"We're pleased with where we are at at this minute in time. The boys have done extremely well in the games," he said.
"They've recovered extremely well, which is a bonus. I think younger players obviously recover a little bit quicker than older players as well, so we're in good shape to play again."
The Northern Ireland boss said his team are comfortable being underdogs for the encounter.
He noted: "I think they are favourites. They're the home team, although obviously the game is not being played in Ukraine. They have a very good team.
"I think they are a team that is probably a little bit further ahead in its development than we are. But we're comfortable with not being favourites in the game."
The manager also said Ukraine's strength is in their collective as a team.
Against Georgia and Hungary his side faced two stars of the game in Paris Saint-Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai respectively.
Ukraine do not have similar individuals in their ranks, but O’Neill says their squad is brimming with talent.
He pointed out: "I think that Ukraine have many players that have the potential to be on that level and go to the big, big clubs in Europe.
"We haven't highlighted any one individual, but we've looked very closely at how they play, with the ball and without the ball, and I believe their strength is in the collective of the team."
Ukraine’s main goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, plays his club football with Portuguese giants Benfica. The 25-year-old has 30 caps. And Shakhtar Donetsk’s Dmytro Riznyk (aged 27, five caps) is a talented keeper, too.
Everton’s Vitaliy Mykolenko (aged 27, 55 caps) and PSG’s Ilya Zabarnyi (aged 24, 59 caps) are part of a solid defensive unit that also features 30-year-old centre back Mykola Matvienko of Shakhtar Donetsk, who has 85 caps under his belt.
There’s also plenty of experience in the middle of the park. Ajax’s Viktor Tsyhankov (28) has scored 14 times in 69 appearances for his country.
However, that record pales beside the 47 goals and 126 caps of 36-year-old Andriy Yarmolenko, the former West Ham United star who plays for Dynamo Kyiv these days. Yarmolenko, however, is more of an impact sub these days.
Yarmolenko’s Dynamo Kyiv team-mate Mykola Shaparenko (27) has 52 caps, while the engine room could also feature Oleksandr Zubkov (30) who has 46 caps. He plays for Greek top flight side AEK Athens.
Another shrewd operator who plays his club football in Greece is striker Roman Yaremchuk (30). He has scored 18 goals for his country in 70 appearances.
Younger talent to watch out for includes Vladyslav Vanat, who plays up front for La Liga side Girona (aged 24, 19 caps, two goals), and 24-year-old midfielder Georgiy Sudakov of Benfica. He has 37 caps and four goals for his country to date.
And striker Danylo Sikan, who scored the winner against Hungary away in Ukraine’s opening B2 game, is highly rated. The 25-year-old, who is on the books of Belgian side Anderlecht, has scored two goals and earned nine caps to date.
The top of the table clash is being shown live on the BBC iPlayer, with commentary available on BBC Sounds. Clips and updates will be available on the BBC Sport website and app. And you can follow it on Northern Ireland social channels.
