The former defender of the Ukrainian national team assessed the prospects of the Ukrainian team in matches against Belgium for the right to compete in League A of the Nations League next season.
Ihor Plastun— Previously, you played in Belgium for "Gent" for three years. A little over a month from now, the Ukrainian national team will play against the Belgians in the playoff for promotion in the Nations League. How do you assess the teams\' chances of winning?
— It will be difficult for our national team, as the Belgians have many quality footballers in their squad. There are a lot of young players approaching the national team, to some extent, a generational change is taking place. Perhaps this is even to our advantage.
I believe that we also have very good footballers who play in serious championships, so with quality preparation, and I do not doubt that it will be so, we will have chances to get past the Belgians. Most will prefer them. I believe in our national team, so I would even assess Ukraine's chances at 60% against 40%.
— How do you think the level of expectations in Belgium for their national team is now, considering previous failures?
— I think the people here are quite moderate; they understand everything. Of course, they always want to win. But this is not a nation that only demands and does not support its own. I am sure they think they should pass Ukraine. But I doubt they consider themselves favorites in major tournaments. It is clear they want to be, but they realistically assess their level and expect successes from the youth in the future.
Kyrylo Krutohorov
