Former goalkeeper of the Ukraine national team Yuriy Virt shared his expectations from the confrontation between our national team and the Belgium national team in the Nations League playoffs.
Yuriy Virt— Part of the national team gathered immediately after four matches of the 21st round, which were played on March 11, the clubs approved this move, so it is acceptable for everyone, — noted Yuriy Mykolayovych. — How useful such an early gathering is will only be understood after the confrontation with Belgium is over.
But I personally do not see the sense in this postponement. They could have played on the weekend, as our 10 legionnaires did, and nothing terrible would have happened. However, this was the wish of Serhiy Rebrov. They accommodated him, and that is good.
— The Ukrainian legionnaires arrived at the national team camp on Monday, March 17. Will three days be enough for them to prepare for the game?
— This schedule is the same for all European national teams. I am confident that our legionnaires will have enough time to recover and understand Rebrov's requirements for playing against the Belgians. The important thing now is the tactics that the players need to hear and learn, and to also rest after matches in European championships.
— Everyone understands that our legionnaires will play a key role in the matches against the Belgium national team. Is their current condition concerning?
— It is very important that almost all of them have playing practice. There is no need to worry about our goalkeeper line either, as Lunin, for example, clearly demonstrates that he is fine, and when needed, he goes on the field and plays reliably, as Andriy proved in Real's cup match in Spain. It is also encouraging that Dovbyk and Yaremchuk are scoring, and our defenders are consistently involved. Therefore, I am confident that our entire overseas group is in a good mood, and now is a positive period for all of them.
— It is also important to understand the current condition of the players from Dynamo and Shakhtar...
— Yes, there are certain failures in the UPL for our giants, but when they arrive at the national team, they switch to another frequency. In the national team, it is necessary to forget about club matters and calmly prepare for matches.
— What role will Yarmolenko play in these Nations League matches?
— Andriy is no longer just a player, but also a captain, a leader, an assistant to the head coach — both on the field and off it. Yarmolenko will be useful for the Ukraine national team whether he starts or comes off the bench.
— Konoplia, who has practically not had playing practice at Shakhtar recently, and Syich, who lacks enough playing experience at this level, are preparing for the confrontation with the Belgians. What can we expect from them?
— Yukhym played in the last match against Karpaty, but there are rumors about a mini-conflict related to his contract. I think Konoplia will likely start against Belgium on the flank. As for Syich, he is also capable of playing well on the defensive flank, he plays steadily at Karpaty, so we can count on him. However, Konoplia is still the main option.
— What is Nazarina doing in the national team, where he is not showing the best football at Shakhtar?
— Yes, there are questions about him. Probably, Nazarina is not in his best physical condition right now. But overall, he has a decent statistic and has playing practice at Shakhtar. I was surprised by something else — why was Ruslan Malinovskyi not called up to the Ukraine national team? He has recovered from his injury and demonstrated quite quality play for Genoa in the Italian championship. Of course, the final decision in the staffing issue should be with Serhiy Rebrov, who has attended many matches, analyzed everything, and has complete information.
— Are you not surprised by Zubkov's presence in the reserve list?
— He is certainly capable of strengthening the national team's game. But I do not know for sure what condition Zubkov is currently in. So, I will repeat — it is all decided by Rebrov.
— Why did the Ukraine national team decide to play a nominal home match in Spain? What does this give?
— It is warm there, sunny, and the fields are good. Just kidding... But of course, there is a practical aspect to this, and the Ukrainian side analyzed everything in detail before choosing the stadium in Murcia. It is important for as many fans as possible to come and support our team as much as possible. We will see. Only after the game will it be clear whether a correct choice was made or not.
— What to expect from the two matches against Belgium?
— It will definitely not be easy for us. The Belgium national team is a great team with top footballers. However, we remember well that we played successfully against them at Euro 2024, we did not concede anything. I believe that the Ukraine national team, especially considering the good form of our legionnaires, is capable of defeating the Belgians. We need to go on the field unrestrained, and demonstrate attacking football. I believe, we can get past Belgium. By the way, I heard remarks about why we need that Group A of the Nations League... We definitely need it! We need matches with England, Germany, Portugal! It is important that luck is on our side, because it is difficult to achieve anything in the game without it.
Oleg Semenchenko
