On the eve of the third match at Euro 2024, against Belgium, the head coach of the Ukrainian national team Serhiy Rebrov gave a press conference.
- Will Vitaliy Mykolenko take the field? How will the center of the field of the national team of Ukraine look like?
- Vitaliy has been working in the general group for three days now, and I am pleased that we have competition in every position. All players work every day and are ready for tomorrow's match.
- What is the situation with Viktor Tsygankov?
- He is still recovering.
- What do you think of the Belgian national team?
- This is a very strong opponent, before the start of our group, everyone realized that the Belgians were the favorites. But in this tournament, anything is possible, you can remember their match with Slovakia. Of course, they are a very strong team. We have to respect our opponents, but also think about our game. It is very important for us to stay focused. We have to win tomorrow.
- Wouldn't it be suicidal to play too boldly against this opponent?
- We need to find a balance, I always say that. We don't have players who only defend or attack. It is important that everyone understands their role and helps each other on the field. It is very important how we and our opponents start the match. Tomorrow we need to come out with the same attitude with which we finished the game against Slovakia. In the second half, we added to the intensity of the game and, I think, we won deservedly.
Of course, we understand under what circumstances we will move on. But it is very important to think about winning. I don't know what the Belgians think, how they will play. We are trying to prepare our players for any scenario.
- What is the personnel situation in the national team of Ukraine?
- There are always some injuries, because these matches are very exhausting. In the game against Slovakia, the whole team ran 10 kilometers more than in the game against Romania. This is a very important factor. There are micro-injuries, there are players who may not train today. But I am sure that everyone will be ready tomorrow.
- How will you stop Kevin De Bruyne?
- We have to stop not only him. The Belgian national team has many skilled players who play in top clubs. Of course, this is a headache for us. However, first of all, we must concentrate on ourselves.
- What are Ruslan Malinowski's chances of appearing on the field?
- Of course, everyone has a chance to play. I am pleased that Ruslan fights and does everything for the team, no matter how many minutes he gets.
- We could really use another goal against Slovakia. Did you realize that during the match?
- We now have three points, which was very important in the game against Slovakia. I don't know why people say that we made all the substitutions for defense. We did not say that we should only defend. But the players mentally understood that it was very important to keep this result after a 0-3 defeat. No one said that it was very important for us to go on the defensive, but the opponent tried to get back at us.
- With two draws in the last round in our group, the Ukrainian national team will not be able to reach the playoffs, meaning that we will not be able to move on with four points. At the same time, there are teams that will need three points to do so. Is it fair?
- I don't know if it's fair or not. If we take fourth place with four points, then we deserve it. If you look at the Croatia-Italy match, both teams deserved to make the playoffs. But that's the way the competition works, we have to adapt. And so we need to think not about four points, but about how to beat the Belgian national team.
- Don' t you think it's dangerous for players to play too hard during training on the eve of such matches?
- If we don't train one hundred percent, then we play like that. There are more recovery training sessions, and there are others. If two players compete for one position, they have to prove that they are the best. How will they prove it if they don't fight?
- Will you follow the developments in the parallel game?
- Information is important, of course, I will know the score. But we have to think about ourselves, no matter what happens in the other match. We have to show our best game.
- Several goals of Romelu Lukaku were not counted, there is some criticism about him. Do you agree that he is not the same now? Will he pose a big threat?
- No, I don't agree with that. He is a very vertical player, quite strong. He always opens up, both in the club and in the national team. I am not surprised that he has many chances in every game. So we have to be careful about his openings.