By Alex Rathbone
England U21s welcome Ukraine to the Vitality Stadium tonight, in a match which former AFC Bournemouth Academy player says will be “tough” for the hosts.
Ukraine currently lead the group, while England are in second place.
Former AFC Bournemouth Academy player Luke Taylor will be in attendance as part of a sell-out crowd, and is hoping that the Three Lions can come away with the three points on offer.
Taylor said: “I think the game will be tough – I didn’t realise how good the Ukraine U21s are. I’m impressed that they are unbeaten in the group so far and all of them are wins too.”
When the two sides met in October last year, the game ended 3-2 to Ukraine in an eventful 90 minutes.
England’s interim manager Ben Futcher will want to improve on that performance, as well as boost his side’s table prospects.
A win for England tonight would begin to close the gap on Ukraine, leaving the hosts three points off the top of the table.
However, a win for in-form Ukraine would increase their tally of points to 27 which would leave an 8-point gap between Ukraine and England.
Ukraine are coming off the back of an eight-match winning streak and most recently a 2-1 win over Northern Ireland.
Following Friday’s game, England will play Azerbaijan, while Ukraine host Serbia next week.
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