The former player of “Karpaty” and “Hoverla” Mykhailo Kopolovets assessed the chances of the Ukrainian national team in the playoff round of the Nations League against the Belgians:
Mykhailo Kopolovets“I do not believe that the Ukrainian national team was unlucky with the draw. Because the recent official matches of Serhiy Rebrov’s team show that it does not always succeed against opponents who are lower in the rankings. However, against more reputable opponents, when there is maximum motivation and a desire to prove themselves, it is possible to demonstrate a cohesive game.
Nevertheless, whether we like it or not, the Belgians are the favorites—they have a more ‘star-studded’ lineup. But the playoff round is very tricky; even for a more reputed team, if it has to face an uncomfortable opponent, it may be the one that falters.
In my opinion, the situation for the Ukrainian national team is not hopeless. The Belgians play themselves, but allow their counterparts to do the same. I think in the March matches, the gameplay advantage will be on the side of Domenico Tedesco’s team, but this will not prevent our boys from making sharp counterattacks. By the way, they do this better than looking for the shortest way to the opponent's goal in positional attacks.
So, there are chances to advance to League A. Especially since in a recent match at Euro-2024, the Belgians did not give the impression of being invincible,” said Kopolovets.
