Former goalkeeper of the Ukrainian national team Yuriy Virt shared his expectations for the match between Ukraine and Georgia, which is set to take place today in Batumi.
Yuriy Virt— What does the Ukrainian national team rely on for success in the match against Georgia?
— Our team played against the Georgians a month ago and won decisively. The football shown by the Ukrainian team on the home ground in Poznań can lead to success. Of course, it won’t be that easy tomorrow, as we will be playing in Georgia. I think there will be a full stadium in Batumi, which will warmly support the home team. But if our players perform reliably and disciplined defensively, then the leaders of the Georgian national team, including one of the best footballers in Europe Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, will have a hard time. Our guys will need to look for chances in attacks — and they will definitely come. So thanks to these two components, we can expect a positive result in the form of a victory.
— Do you think the factor of the hot support from the passionate Georgian fans could negatively affect the motivation of the Ukrainian players?
— Not at all. I’m confident that the motivation, dedication, and attitude of our players will be at a high level. We have an experienced team that has been playing abroad regularly in recent years. Players from Kyiv's Dynamo and Donetsk's Shakhtar regularly play in the Champions League and Europa League, where games often take place in packed arenas. In Batumi, the pressure from the stands will certainly be there, but I am convinced that they will cope with it. I’m sure the atmosphere in the stadium will be truly football-like, great, and friendly. The Georgian fans will push their team forward, but at the same time, both teams will enjoy playing in such an atmosphere. I repeat: we have an experienced team that can handle the pressure from the stands.
— Recently, Serhiy Rebrov has constantly had to reshape the squad due to various personnel issues — due to injuries or illnesses of his players. Will the absence of several key players affect the potential of the Ukrainian national team in the Batumi match?
— More than twenty footballers are called up to the national team, and everyone has a chance to play. Yes, we have injured players or those who cannot come for certain reasons. But we saw in the previous game that there was a problem in the defensive zone, where Kaluzhny was called up for the first time. He played at a quite high, quality level. And now everyone started talking about him as if he were a top player. Therefore, I am confident that Rebrov will find the optimal lineup and all the strongest players currently available will take the field tomorrow against the Georgians. Except for Sych and Yarmolyuk, all other players are not newcomers to the national team, and most have been called up for many years. So, I believe that there will be an equivalent replacement for those players who could not come due to injuries or other reasons.
— In order to claim a top spot in the group, Ukraine needs to win at all costs. Could this factor become a psychological burden for our national team?
— There will be pressure, but I would like to return to what I said earlier. The Ukrainian national team is an experienced one that knows how to achieve results. We can recall the playoff matches of the qualifying round for the 2024 European Championship when the blue and yellows also faced pressure for the results at the end. However, they defeated North Macedonia and Malta. This means our team knows how to handle pressure concerning results. So now it will be interesting to see how the Ukrainian national team will respond to the situation it finds itself in after two initial losses. In both October matches, Rebrov's team performed well, earning four points. And now they have a key match ahead of them, in which our players need to take the field with heightened motivation and give their all, following the coach's game plan. I believe the guys understand everything perfectly and will perform excellently in the match against Georgia, allowing us to hope for a good final result.
— Do you dare to make a prediction?
— Why not? I will. We are in for a tough game with goals from both sides. It will be a battle and will end in a high-scoring draw, 1:1.
Vyacheslav Kulchytsky
