Former Donetsk «Shakhtar» and Ukraine national team player Serhiy Kovalev shared his expectations for the 6th round qualifying match for World Cup 2026, Ukraine vs Iceland, which will take place today in Warsaw.
Serhiy Kovalev
— Serhiy, before the game against Iceland are you feeling optimistic?
— How else could I feel? (Smiles). We really want the Ukrainian team to prove its worth after, to put it mildly, an unconvincing game in Paris. Now the willpower and character of each player should come first. Only in this way can the «blue-yellows» continue their fight for the World Cup spot.
— Can our team psychologically bounce back after a major defeat from France?
— I really hope so. But here the work of the coaching staff is paramount. Everyone must understand that today, we may have to play through «I can’t.» The players themselves must understand that whoever starts in the lineup must resolve the issue here and now; there will be no other chance.
— By the way, how would you characterize the game against France?
— Naturally, the emotions after the match were negative. The expectations from the actions of the Ukrainian national team players were much higher. Given the tactics our coaches chose, it was extremely difficult to rely on a positive result in the match against one of the best teams in Europe. The statistics of shots on goal (1:25) confirm this. Maybe the coaches tried to make adjustments during the game, but we saw that for 90 minutes our team did nothing but defend. And there were enough individual errors in simple situations for several matches, not to mention failed attempts to transition from defense to attack.
The match was, in a word, disastrous, but that’s why there is a confrontation with Iceland, where the «blue-yellows» can—and must—redeem themselves in front of their fans.
— Besides willpower and character, how can we surprise Iceland?
— With collective actions in creation. We have the resources for this. It is very important for the team to show pressing on the opponent’s half of the field, and when losing the ball, to immediately go for interception. Nothing supernatural, the main thing is to want to demonstrate this. The opponent will surely make mistakes. I am confident that on paper we are stronger than the opponent. But this advantage needs to be proven on the field if our players want to compete for a World Cup spot.
— Will Serhiy Rebrov be able to compensate for Georgiy Sudakov’s absence due to injury?
— Undoubtedly, it’s a serious loss, but with all respect to Iceland, it’s not France. And this was shown in our head-to-head match in Reykjavik. Therefore, there is no need to focus on the absence of the Benfica midfielder.
— As a former middle line player for «Shakhtar» and the national team, who would you prefer in the upcoming match?
— If we’re talking about the defensive midfield, probably Kalyuzhny is unrivaled. Slightly higher I see Yarmolyuk and Malinovskyi, and on the flanks Zubkov and probably Gutsulyak.
— Do you consider a negative result for us possible?
— Anything can happen in football. (Smiles). But I don’t even want to think about it. I don’t allow for such a thing. Otherwise, it would be a failure. Everyone understood that the favorite in our group was France. But if we let Iceland ahead of us, I don’t know how the team can excuse this disgrace.
— Probably, your prediction for the match is optimistic?
— How could it be otherwise? (Laughs). But it’s not just because I am Ukrainian and will support my team. We are stronger. And as I said, the guys must prove it on the football field. 2:1.
Serhiy Demyanchuk
