Honored coach of Ukraine Myron Markevych shared what he expects from the final match of the 6th round of the World Cup 2026 qualifying group stage between the national teams of Ukraine and Iceland, which will take place today in Warsaw.
Myron Markevych. Photo — fckarpaty.org.ua— Myron Bohdanovych, will our guys be able to recover from not just a cold, but an icy shower in Paris, and delight us with a victory over Iceland?
— We need to go out and win! There are no other options. I think everyone was preparing specifically for the game against Iceland because with France [the Ukrainian national team players] they did not play... Well, can’t we focus on one game, go out and bite that team? Yes, we can. Iceland is not England, Spain, or France, with all due respect.
— Could the match against France have ended differently?
— We could have played stronger in Paris, to put it mildly, but… Most likely, in Warsaw, we will see a completely different lineup, perhaps only one or two players will remain from the previous one.
— So, you predict a total rotation?
— A completely different team should come out, and its players should not be strongly affected by the defeat in the previous game.
— Will Trubin start again, or will Rebrov let Riznyk play after four goals?
— What questions are there for Trubin after the game with France? He was helping out as much as he could… He should play.
— Anatoliy was helping, no questions there. You said that from the starting eleven for France, 1−2 players should remain for the game with Iceland. We identified Trubin as the first, but who is the second? Yaremchuk, who did not deliver a single shot on target?
— Yaremchuk is not ready to play yet. He has only recently recovered from his injury. Therefore, in my opinion, Vanat should start, and Roman can come in as a substitute.
Also, I think Zabarniy and Matviyenko should play in the center of defense, a proven pair, not Mykhalko with Illya. Konoplya and Mykolenko should be put on the defensive flanks.
— Nominally, if you purely look at the scheme, with France we had Ocheretko, Yarmolyuk, and Nazaryna in midfield. It’s an unusual combination of players, in my opinion, especially without emphasized flanks.
— Tsyhankov should play on the right flank, Shaparenko or Yarmolyuk in the center, Kalyuzhny as a holding midfielder.
I don’t know who Rebrov will bet on, but we will need to press from the first to the last minute, and Yarmolyuk might run out of strength… We must not let the Icelanders breathe. Sudakov could have done it, but he definitely won’t help because he is injured. This is a significant loss for Ukraine, no question about it.
— In Reykjavik, Iceland and Ukraine put on a show with eight goals. Should we expect a flurry of goals in Warsaw as well?
— No, I don’t think so. It’s rare when seven shots on target from our guys result in five goals. We just need to win, I repeat.
— What do you think, if Ukraine loses to Iceland, will Serhiy Rebrov be fired? He has already received a lot of criticism.
— That’s not a question for me. But let me put it this way: a coach’s work depends directly on the result.
— Quite a telling hint. At one time, you said you haven’t said your last word as a coach. If Serhiy Rebrov is dismissed, are you ready to take over the Ukrainian national team if offered?
— I won’t answer that question. Ukraine needs to beat Iceland, and ahead there will be playoffs for the right to play in the World Cup. All these talks about me and Rebrov’s dismissal lead to nothing.
— Finally, as usual, your prediction for the Ukraine vs. Iceland game.
— We must win. It doesn’t matter — 1:0 or 3:1. That’s my prediction, I feel that Ukraine will gain three points.
Victor Glukhenskyi
