Former defender of the Ukrainian national team Oleksandr Kucher assessed Rebrov’s team’s prospects in Paris in the qualifying match for the World Cup 2026.
Oleksandr Kucher (photo: chornomorets.ua/)— Everyone who follows football understands well what this game means for the Ukrainian national team. Of course, it is very important, but we are well aware of France’s strength. So, it won’t be easy for our team — and we understand that. It will be a very tough game, and it’s probably necessary to give 200 percent of what each player can, in order to get a result that will satisfy us.
— You have repeatedly played at different levels with the French. What distinguishes them from other opponents?
— This is a very powerful team — both physically and individually. Every player in the French national team needs attention because a threat can come from any of them. We need to help each other very carefully in every part of the field.
— Our national team, like clubs playing in European competitions, has a mentality trait inherent to Slavic people: initially, they create problems for themselves, and then heroically overcome them. Do you think the two matches Sergey Rebrov’s team has left — with France and Iceland — is exactly that case?
— Judging by how everything started in this qualifying cycle, yes, it is. But we see that we nevertheless manage to overcome difficulties, so we hope to come out with honor from these two matches.
— Many are betting on the match Azerbaijan — Iceland, hoping for the guests' team to lose points. However, the situation may arise in such a way that everything may not go according to plan...
— Yes, anything can happen. However, whatever may be, we need to prepare for each game and not divide this or that match. We should go into any game hoping only for a positive result, giving it maximum effort on the field.
Vyacheslav Kulchytskyi
