Dynamo Kyiv defender Denis Popov will miss the first matches of the League of Nations for the Ukrainian national team.
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Denis Popov. Photo – S. McCarthy
This was reported by «NBN» with reference to 24 Channel
Popov remained in Kyiv for treatment due to back problems, which rules out his participation in the opening matches of the tournament.
In the first games of the group stage of the League of Nations, Ukraine will face Albania and the Czech Republic. Both matches will be held in Prague: on September 7 against Albania and on September 10 against the Czech Republic. The first meeting will be nominally home for the Ukrainian team.
Popov's absence from the squad left the national team with four central defenders: Matviyenko, Bondar, Taloverev and Zabarnyi. Popov last played for the national team in July 2022.
At the moment, the Ukrainian national team is represented by the following lineup. In goal – Heorhiy Bushchan, Anatoliy Trubin and Andriy Lunin. In defense, along with the already mentioned players, Konoplya, Timchyk, Mykolenko and others will play. The midfielders include Yarmolenko, Shaparenko, Brazhko, Kabaev, Pikhalionok and others. Dovbyk, Yaremchuk and Vanat will be in attack.
Special attention should be paid to Mykola Shaparenko, who is also experiencing problems with the calf muscle, but has already joined the team in the Czech Republic.
The Nations League is of key importance for the Ukrainian national team in the context of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Winning the group will ensure the team promotion to League A for the next tournament, which will be an important step towards future challenges.
Recall that earlier we wrote about Tsygankov failing the match against Sevilla.