The former head coach of Kyiv’s “Dynamo” and the Ukrainian national team, Leonid Buryak, spoke about what he expects from the final round match of the Nations League group stage Albania — Ukraine, which will take place tomorrow in Tirana.
"Considering the weather conditions that were in Batumi during the game against Georgia, we need to understand that recovering for the match against Albania will be difficult. I think the problem may arise for Konoplya, who has run enough on the heavy pitch on the flank, as well as our other players have run a lot.
I know there used to be such statistics — in the first match of two paired, the failure rate is 30-32 percent, and in the second — 40-42%. In this situation, it is worth conducting rotation of midfield players. However, here it is important to understand whether Rebrov can afford to replace Shaparenko and Brazhko in the “starting” lineup, as well as other players who started the match against Georgia. Of course, they can come out, but they will not be the same...
The dilemma also lies in whether to play with one striker or two? If with one, then it’s hard for Mudrik. It is worth noting that the goal created by Mudrik in Batumi is, to some extent, a coincidence, because the Georgians basically brought this ball to themselves. As for Yaremchuk, he is also dependent on passes from his teammates, just like Dovbik. In the attack against Georgia, we achieved very little, and it is important to improve this for the game against Albania.
The Ukrainian national team can certainly beat Albania, and from the second place, try to be promoted through the playoffs. Unfortunately, not everything will depend on the result of our match in Tirana," said Buryak.
Oleg Semenchenko