The head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Serhii Rebrov, spoke with UP.TB hosts and experts on the topic of the 2026 World Cup qualification playoffs.
Serhii Rebrov (photo: uaf.ua)— What are your emotions and mood after the draw? Graham Potter said it’s a «great opportunity» for Sweden…
— I think it’s good motivation for the Swedes. I don’t know if it’s a great opportunity for them or not, but the game will show. I think it’s very important what condition the teams will be in because Sweden has played almost the entire qualifying cycle not at full strength — there were always injuries to very important players for the national team. It’s very important how our team and Sweden will approach March. I hope the chances are equal.
— Regarding preparation. Sweden is in high spirits now, but there’s a lot of time until March. Do you already understand how you will form the preparation and when it will actually start?
— It started when we learned about our opponent. There’s a lot of information now, many games that we will be watching, analyzing our candidates. I’m glad there is competition in almost all positions. We need to choose the players who will play in March. There’s a lot of work, and we will be preparing.
— Considering the importance of the match against the Swedes, will the UPL championship be adjusted in some way? Will you initiate the rescheduling of Premier League matches?
— We already had experience when we played the playoffs: we only adjusted the last round before the gathering, and this needs to be discussed with the clubs. It’s currently impossible to assemble the national team without foreign players, without those playing in Europe and America. We don’t plan to reschedule anything now or at the beginning of next year. But the last round before the game, I think, needs to be organized so that there is a small gathering. For now, it’s just thoughts.
— There is a potential opponent in our group — the Polish national team. Have you thought about where you will play in case of a match against the Poles, given that the national team constantly plays home matches in Poland?
— I think, a hundred percent, we will not play against Poland in Poland. That’s not normal. We only found out about our opponent yesterday and will now decide where to hold the matches. But I think it won’t be Poland. Both matches should be held in one place without relocating — the logistics are challenging. If we choose a stadium and a country, that’s where both games should be held.
— How do you handle the pressure? How do you react when things don’t work out?
— I’m used to it. Lobanovskyi taught me: «You don’t have to watch anything.» All the experts are paper experts. There are a few specialists I communicate with: Pavlov, Buryak… It was very pleasant that Muntyan called after the game, though he’s in a difficult state. It was a very emotional call. I’ve been a coach for more than a year, and I don’t know any Ukrainian national team coach who hasn’t been criticized. It’s important to focus on your work and results.
— Did you review the match with Iceland? Maybe you noticed something new or highlighted someone who was underestimated right after the game?
— It was interesting. There wasn’t a single player who fell out. There were those who carried the team, but the important thing was that no one failed. There were a lot of mistakes, but the key was the desire. We pressed; some things worked, some didn’t. We knew that fresh players would add at the end. Yaremchuk is a player who will «bite the ground» even in five minutes. The same applies to Shaparenko, Hutsuliak. The plan was exactly that.
— When you pinned Iceland on their half, when were you more nervous: at 0:0 or 1:0?
— You try to help the team. You should fear not losing but doing insufficiently. Even if we hadn’t won, there would have been no remarks for the players. After the first goal, we didn’t sit back on defense intentionally, although the opponent forced us to in some moments. We worked on counterattacks but did not lose intensity. The second goal was also important. After it, we maintained intensity.
— About Trubin’s phenomenal save at 0:0. How did you experience it? Did you talk to him after the match?
— From my position, I didn’t see the moment well — many players were blocking. But when I reviewed it, I realized it was one of the key moments. We played against a very strong opponent. You shouldn’t think we’ll beat everyone. We can when we play at the maximum and with intensity. That was present — that’s why we won deservedly.
— About Hutsuliak — our most scoring player. He plays little at the club. On what is your faith in him based?
— In this cycle, there were many injuries to leaders, Mudryk was absent. Oleksii became the attack leader because I know his qualities. There is competition at the club — that’s normal. But in the national team, he plays every game to the maximum, isn’t afraid to take the game upon himself. This is important. He constantly breaks into the penalty area; thanks to this, he scores and assists. We have few such players who can decide an episode themselves.
— Is there a breakdown of your speed at the end of the match?
— They don’t measure my speed; let them measure the players' (smiles). But I agree: if we score, I’ll run like that more than once. Emotions overwhelmed everyone.
— Forwards score little: only one goal in a year — Vanat in Belgium. Why do you think that is?
— If we consider the game against Iceland: Vanat’s work for the team was colossal. Yes, we want the forwards to score, but more work needs to be done in the clubs. There’s no time for individual work in the national team because sometimes we only have one training session before the match. Tactics are very important. I hope the forwards will score more in the next games.
