The coach of the “blue-yellows” shared his expectations for the decisive match for a place in the elite division of the League of Nations.
Head coach of the Ukrainian national team Serhiy Rebrov answered journalists' questions at a press conference on the eve of the return match against Belgium in the playoffs for the right to play in the elite division of the next Nations League.
This was reported by the official website of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF).
See also: Courtois explains why Belgium lost to Ukraine in first Nations League playoff match
– Will Artem Dovbik be able to play?
– He will train with the general group, yesterday he had an individual training session. As far as I can see, everything will be fine.
– Belgian coach Rudi Garcia said that Ukraine stunned them. How close are you to the team now to stun the opponent again?
– I always have normal communication with the players. I can't say that anything has changed after the first game. Everyone is in a working mood, everyone understands that it was only the first half. Everyone is very serious about tomorrow.
In the previous match, we played very disciplined in the first half, but unfortunately not so aggressively. I am sure that it is difficult to play at a high tempo for 90 minutes. That is why we stepped up in the second half and got the result. Tomorrow will be a completely different game. We are preparing for an aggressive opponent who will play at home and will be very motivated.
– How would you rate Yegor Yarmolyuk's debut? What is his role in your team?
– I am happy with all the players. I congratulated Egor on a good match, on his debut. He did what he had to do. He played simply, made no mistakes, which was important in those minutes. He understands the position he played in, but sometimes we change positions. I think this player is ready to be competitive in our team, which he showed.
– Have you considered the option of calling up Ilya Krupsky from the youth?
– Yes, we did consider him, I like this player. But he hasn't played a single game at the national team level. There are players who played as a right back, for example, Bohdan Mykhailychenko for Anderlecht and Poliesie. Oleksandr Zinchenko played well in this position. There are options. There was no need to call up the player immediately now.
I would be very happy if we won 3-1 against Belgium in the qualifying round, but this is a competition for places in the Nations League divisions. In my opinion, these games are very important for our people, for our fighters in terms of positive emotions. But this is not a game for a place in the World Cup. This is a very important match for us, now we have 23 players who are preparing. I am sure that tomorrow they will show their best.
We always thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the opportunity to play football. It is good that we have the opportunity to play in Europe, thank all our partners, the same Belgium, who help a lot. I remember when we played at Euro 2024 and when the Ukrainian anthem was played, all the Belgian fans applauded. It was a very emotional moment. I am sure that tomorrow the fans will support the Belgian team, but they respect Ukraine. It is important that our team plays in Europe, at a high level, represented our country at the continental championship.
The Belgium vs. Ukraine match will take place on Sunday, March 23, in Genk, Belgium, at the Cegeka Arena. The match will start at 21:45 Kyiv time.
In the first match, which took place on March 20 in Murcia, Spain, the Ukrainian team won a strong-willed victory over the Belgians with a score of 3:1.
The winner of the two-match confrontation between Ukraine and Belgium will receive a place in the most prestigious Division A of the League of Nations. The losing team will play the next tournament in Division B.
Text online broadcast of the match Belgium – Ukraine is available on our website.