Famous manager and expert Viacheslav Zakhovailo shared his forecast for the Euro 2024 play-off match between Ukraine and Iceland.
- I expect a difficult match in Wroclaw, much harder than the one against the Bosnians. Iceland is a very young team, fast, creative, and they have excellent transitional phases from defence to attack. They are a physically tough team, they can impose a fight on Ukraine throughout the match.
The leaders of our national team are in great shape. The only concern is Zinchenko's form after his injury. It is noticeable that the Arsenal representative is not yet one hundred per cent ready. It is especially interesting to see what starting line-up Serhii Rebrov will put out for Iceland. Brazhko played well - he proved himself in his debut match. He has good statistics on all TTD indicators with the Bosnians, but these statistics do not fully reflect the performance of the Dynamo Kyiv player in the attacking phase. I think Rebrov will have to rack his brains about who to choose in the centre of the pitch for Iceland. We'll see, the coach has enough options. As for the other positions, everything is clear, the same players should be out there.
I expect a nervous and difficult match. Everything will be tied to psychology. The coaching staff must rely on experienced players who have experience in such crucial matches. We will miss Stepanenko in the centre of the pitch. As for my prediction for the match, I foresee an exchange of goals, but our team will win. Ukraine is stronger than Iceland in pure football terms - we have to prove it on the pitch," Zakhovailo said.