Defender of the Ukrainian national team Vitaliy Mykolenko participated in a scheduled pre-match press conference a day before the return match of the Nations League playoff with Belgium for the right to compete in Division "A" of this tournament next season.
Vitaliy Mykolenko. Photo — UAF— Tomorrow is a decisive match. Ukraine has an advantage, but the players probably feel pressure. Is this true? And what can guarantee success for the Ukrainian national team tomorrow?
— Our head coach said before the first match with Belgium: "Don’t think about pressure, don’t think about the result, just enjoy the game and not only in attack but also in defense." And I think we did this very well. If we play the same way with the same spirit and desire, then I think we will have no problems tomorrow.
— The Ukrainian national team finished 2019 without losses. Can this team repeat that?
— We really started that year very positively and we can’t help but be pleased with that. Of course, our goal is to win every match. We have a very good team now. So we will squeeze the maximum out of each match. And we’ll see what happens. Maybe this year will also be without losses.
— There are only two days between the two matches against Belgium. How do you feel before the return match? And how is the team’s recovery going in such a schedule?
— First of all, we are on equal terms with the Belgium national team. They traveled here from Spain just like we did. Equal recovery conditions. As always in such conditions, yesterday, the players who did not play in the first match against Belgium trained. The others had full recovery. Then there was a flight to Genk and further recovery. Today is training, and we will continue to prepare.
