The former head coach of the national team of Ukraine Myron Markevych shared his opinion on the draw of the Nations League playoff round, where our team will meet the Belgian national team.
— Mr. Myron, what do you think about the fateful draw of the Nations League playoffs?
— What I said before the draw. We got the strongest of all possible opponents. Belgium was the strongest national team in the world according to the FIFA ranking. They are a very good team with leaders in all positions. It will not be easy for us.
— You faced them at Euro 2024. Their superiority on the field was not noticeable.
— I won’t say that this team is beyond us. Of all the options that were before the draw, the Belgians are the strongest. But the winner will be determined by the game.
— Our opponents have certain problems within the team. Courtois refuses to play for the national team, and De Bruyne has rarely been on the field recently.
— Those are their problems. It’s possible that the Belgians will change their coach and everything will improve. This is a very strong team. I think they are also not thrilled about playing against Ukraine.
— So the chances are equal?
— Of course. We have a decent team, with our own leaders. Keep in mind that there are still four months until the playoff matches in March. Something may change. Both in our team and in the opponents.
— But it's still a bit awkward to get one of the strongest national teams in the world as your opponent.
— Come on. There is nothing that coach Serhiy Rebrov and our players don’t know in their game. Yes, it will be difficult, but we also have high-level players. We need to prepare. Study the opponents and get focused on them. Everything will be fine.
Hennadiy Chekhovskyi