In just three days, the Ukrainian youth national team will play its first Euro 2023 (U-21) playoff match against Slovakia. The preparations of head coach Ruslan Rotan are reaching their final stages.

Since Monday, the team has been training in full strength. However, as late as Sunday, the blue-and-yellow team conducted a training game, from which the coaching staff gathered a lot of information. As always, Ruslan Rotan and his assistants pay great attention to theoretical preparation. Regarding the squad situation, fortunately, all players are healthy.

Tomorrow afternoon, the Ukrainian "youth" team will depart by bus for Jihlava, where the first match against Slovakia will take place. The distance from the Polish city of Bydgoszcz to the destination is only 100 km. A pre-match training session will take place in the evening on the 22nd.

We remind you that the matches will be held on September 23 and 27. The first one will be played by our team at the "Pod Dubňom" stadium (kickoff - 19:00 Kyiv time). The nominal home match of blue-and-yellow will take place in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz on the Municipal Stadium (18:30).

Ukrainian Youth National Team Squad

Goalkeepers: Dmytro Matcupura («Zorya» Luhansk), Kiryl Fesyun («Kolos» Kovalivka), Yakiv Kinareykin («Dnipro-1» Dnipropetrovsk).

Defenders: Arseniy Batagov («Zorya» Luhansk), Anton Bol, Kostiantyn Vycharenko, Oleksandr Syrota (all — «Dynamo» Kyiv), Oleksandr Drambaev («Zulte Waregem», Belgium), Dmytro Kapinus («Metalist 1925» Kharkiv), Oleksiy Syts («Kortrijk», Belgium), Maxim Talovetor («Slovanski Plzen», Czech Republic).

Midfielders: Artem Bondarenko, Dmytro Kryskiv, Oleh Ocheretyko, Georgiy Sudakov (all —«Shakhtar» Donetsk), Volodymyr Brazychko, Mykola Mykhaylenko (both —«Zorya» Luhansk), Eldar Kuliyev («Mynai»), Oleksandr Nazarenko («Dnipro-1» Dnipropetrovsk), Ivan Zhelezko («Valmiera», Latvia), Yegor Yamoluk («Brentford», England).

Forwards: Vladyslav Vanat («Dynamo» Kyiv), Bohdan Vyunnyk («Zurich», Switzerland), Mykola Kukharevych («Hibernian», Scotland), Danylo Sykan («Shakhtar» Donetsk).

Reserves: Valentin Rubchynskyi («Dnipro-1» Dnipropetrovsk), Eduard Kozik («Shakhtar» Donetsk), Roman Dydyk, Marko Sapuga (both —«Rukh» Lviv), Oleksiy Horin («Mynai»), Danyil Alefirenko, Maxim Khlyan (both —«Zorya» Luhansk), Maxim Bragaru («Chornomorets» Odesa), Oleksiy Kashchuk («Sabah», Azerbaijan), Viktor Voloshin («Oleksandria»).

Euro 2023 (U-21). Qualification. Play-offs

September 23, 2022, September 27, 2022

Croatia - Denmark

Slovakia - Ukraine

Ireland - Israel

Iceland - Czech Republic

Final tournament: June/July 2023.

Participants of the final tournament: Romania, Georgia, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Italy, Switzerland, four playoff winners.

The tournament involving 16 national teams will be held on four stadiums in Romania (two — in Cluj-Napoca and two — in Bucharest) and four in Georgia (in Batumi, Poti and two — in Tbilisi). The opening match will take place in Romania, while the final will be played in Georgia.