In Gdansk, the Ukrainian national team continues preparations for the final match of the Euro 2024 qualifying cycle against Italy, which will take place next Monday in Leverkusen, Germany. The first snow that fell in Gdansk last Thursday brought positive emotions to the players of the national team.
The snow flakes that fell liberally on the Na Traugutta Stadium pitch seemed to remind them that the Christmas and New Year's Eve season would soon be upon us. At such moments, perhaps, everyone involuntarily recalls the unforgettable childhood emotions of anticipation of the winter holiday.
On the other hand, it's good that the temperature, although minimal, is still above freezing, which means that the snow melts instantly. In the end, the cold didn't go away, so only intensive movement helped the players stay warm. And the coaching staff made every effort to make today's workout full of dynamics.
After jogging, physical training coach Vitaliy Kulyba invited the boys to play tic-tac-toe on the lawn: the teams competed with each other for the speed of thinking to make a winning diagonal out of their training bibs. "The goalkeepers, under the guidance of Rustam Khudzhamov, also worked on their reaction.
After that, the players performed specific tasks in the format of game series. As in the previous days, most of the training was devoted to playing the tactical scheme for the match against the Italians.
There are only three days left before the decisive confrontation. This morning, the Blue and Yellows will have a fitness session at the hotel: yesterday's training session on a wet, sticky pitch was enough physical activity for the players.
In the afternoon, the Ukrainians will travel to the local airport, from where they will take a flight to Leverkusen.