Former midfielder of Lviv’s «Karpaty» Ihor Khudobiak shared his thoughts on the composition of the Ukrainian national team in the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Ihor Khudobiak— The chances of the Ukrainian team beating the French are indeed small, but they always exist. Any team in the world can be defeated — France is no exception. Many say that the match against the French can be «thrown away» to be ready for Iceland?
I believe that we need to play for results in every match — it doesn’t matter if it’s France or Iceland. We need to take the maximum points, prepare for victory, and set ourselves up to win. Then the game will show everything. It looks like a tactic with three central defenders is quite possible and even very likely just for the match against the French national team.
Dovbyk’s injury is a noticeable loss for our team. It’s hard to say who will play in attack — Yaremchuk or Vanat. We need to look at the physical and psychological state of the players. I think the coaching staff knows better who to start with from the first minutes.
Regarding criticism of Zabarnyi in France — I haven’t heard about it. But if it does exist after several unsuccessful matches, it’s normal. Fair criticism helps a player grow. I don’t think it will affect Illia’s game in the national team, because when they join the national team, players switch and for a while forget about the club.
If Tsyhankov has fully recovered from his injury and is in good form, then he probably deserves to start on the right flank. And on the left, perhaps Hutsulyak will be able to play. However, it seems that as in previous matches, Serhiy Rebrov might use one of the midfielders — for example, Sudakov. I think Ukraine can hold on for a draw. My prediction is 1:1, — said Khudobiak.
