The head coach of Cherkasy LNZ, Vitaliy Ponomarev, shared what he expects from today’s 2026 World Cup qualifying match between Iceland and Ukraine.
Vitaliy Ponomarev. Photo — FC LNZ— The October matches are very important for the Ukrainian national team. What is your opinion on the upcoming match against Iceland in Reykjavik? How can we defeat the opponent?
— It will be a tough match. The Icelanders have shown that they are currently in very good form. Even in an away match against France, the Icelandic national team could have achieved a favorable result for themselves.
It will be a difficult match, especially since it is an away game. But we need the points. We must play as efficiently as possible in this game. Carefully and with concentration to achieve the result. After all, this game is one of the key ones in this qualifying cycle.
— There are many personnel losses. Which do you consider the most painful for the Ukrainian team in the upcoming matches?
— It’s hard to say. You need to know and see the team from the inside, but I believe there are good replacements for those players who will not participate in their matches. I don’t think it should be a problem. The main thing is for the guys to come out united and for each player to make every effort to ensure the team’s victory. I don’t think personnel issues will affect the result of the match. It should be a team effort.
— Which players, not called up by Serhiy Rebrov, could have helped the national team?
— That is the head coach’s prerogative. They analyze everything with the coaching staff. Therefore, the players he called up deserved to be part of the national team setup.
Who else could have been called up? A thorough analysis is needed to determine who else could have been called. I believe those who were called up are the optimal squad for today.
— Do you see potential in any LNZ players for future national team call-ups?
— I wouldn’t want to single anyone out. Each of them needs to work very hard, but nothing is impossible. More so, you see that players from many clubs are being called up to the national team setup. I just want to wish every one of our players to work, progress, and excel. I repeat, someone could make it to the national team.
— Rebrov’s future is quite uncertain. There is a lot of talk about «Panathinaikos». If Serhiy Stanislavovych leaves, who would you like to see at the helm of the national team?
— I wouldn’t want to see anyone else. Rebrov is the coach, so there’s nothing to discuss. There is a coach, and he is trusted. That’s it. Nothing more to discuss.
— Let’s predict the exact score of the Iceland vs. Ukraine match.
— I don’t want to make predictions, but we are in for a very difficult match.
Oleh Vakhotskyi
