Former defender of the Ukrainian national team Serhii Dyravka shared his impressions of the players called up by the main team’s coach Serhii Rebrov for the final qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup — against France and Iceland on November 13 and 16, respectively.
Andrii Yarmolenko«I believe that Rebrov had enough time to weigh everything before announcing the list of players he is counting on in these decisive matches, where the fate of the World Cup ticket will be decided.
In my opinion, there were no major surprises. It’s unfortunate that the much-anticipated debut of stopper Arsenii Batagov may not take place, as he suffered an injury during the last training session with Trabzonspor. We have to wait for the final verdict from the Turkish club’s medical staff.
After the return of the injured Viktor Tsyhankov and Oleksandr Zubkov to the lineup, Serhii Rebrov decided not to call up veteran Andrii Yarmolenko and another Dynamo player Nazar Voloshyn, who missed the last champions' games due to an injury. There are options for these positions. Still, it’s unfortunate that Yarmolenko won’t be there; he is a dressing room leader, and his experience would definitely have been useful. In the end, perhaps Rebrov’s decision was influenced by circumstances unknown to the general public,» noted Dyravka.
