The head coach of Ukraine's futsal team, Oleksandr Kosenko, spoke about the team's preparation for a friendly match against Poland and an encounter in the main round of European qualification for the 2024 World Championship.

After three wins this fall, Oleksandr Kosenko’s protégés confidently lead their group with good chances to qualify for the elite round of the 2024 World Cup qualifiers. The final match in the main round will be played away against the Netherlands on March 8th. The game will take place in Almere and is scheduled to start at 21:00 Kyiv time.

As part of their preparation for the official encounter, Ukraine's national team will play a friendly match against Poland. The sparring will take place on March 3rd in the city of Kolobrzeg and is set to start at 20:00 Kyiv time.

The blue-and-yellow team has already arrived in Polish territory and conducted their first training sessions. Ahead of the game against Poland, head coach Oleksandr Kosenko gave a statement to the press service of the Ukrainian Futsal Association.

— Oleksandre Petrovych, yesterday your team conducted its first training session as part of the NTS preparation for the official match against the Netherlands. Tell us about the program?

— Today we will also conduct a training session, tomorrow we are expecting a friendly match with Poland's national team. Then we will spend two more days on training sessions. On March 6th, we have a flight to the Netherlands planned, where we will hold a pre-match training session, and on March 8th, we will play the final match of the European qualification for the 2024 World Championship. Of course, during the gathering, we also plan theoretical sessions.

— Tell us more about the next opponent — Poland's national team. Why did you choose a friendly match with this team?

— First of all, we needed a high-quality sparring game against a strong team. Poland is quite a solid team. They promote physical futsal, imposing a lot of struggle. I also note the work on set plays, counterattacks, and goalkeeper involvement as strengths. Indeed, there are several moments that could put the opponent in an uncomfortable situation.

The Dutch national team differs slightly in its playing style. However, a physical approach is characteristic of both teams. The Netherlands may be somewhat more technical, but similarities in play are present. In the friendly match between Ukraine and Poland, both sides will pursue similar objectives. Poland also prepares for an important encounter against Azerbaijan for group victory. So we expect an interesting confrontation.

— Why did Kirill Tsybun not make it to the list of players for the upcoming matches?

— Kirill broke his wrist. Of course, he needs recovery time. So unfortunately, he won't be able to help us. Kirill is one of the key players in our team both on and off the pitch. In my opinion, Ukraine's goalkeeper school is among the strongest. I am convinced that each of the goalkeepers called up now deserves their place. We will observe the training process and make decisions regarding playing time. Both Sasha Sukhov and Yuri Savenko are currently in good form. However, it’s better if all goalkeepers are healthy, and our options are expanded.

— Recently you led the Polish 'Legia'. Tell us how this option came about and how will you balance club work with national team duties?

— When I agreed to cooperate with 'Legia', I immediately specified that my primary focus is working with Ukraine's national team. Accordingly, the club work happens when I am not involved in national team matters. I will try to be useful and productive both with 'Legia' and with Ukraine’s national team. For me, this is an opportunity to stay constantly in a coaching mindset. Of course, when you are working with the national team, it's not just about training sessions and matches. However, as everyone understands, there is also free time that can be filled with club futsal work. So we will work!

Ukraine’s Futsal National Team Roster

Goalkeepers: Yuri Savenko ('Hurricane'), Oleksandr Sukhov ('HIT').

Field Players: Petro Shoturma, Daniil Abakshin, Igor Korsun, Artem Farenyuk, Mykola Mikhityuk (all — 'Hurricane'), Mykhailo Zvarych, Serhiy Maliishko, Vitaliy Radevich (all — 'Energy'), Yevhen Syryi, Igor Chernyavskyi (both — 'HIT'), Andriy Melnyk (CLUST), Yaroslav Lebid' ('Piaszt', Poland).

2024 World Championship. European Qualification. Main Round. Group 11

September 18, 2022

Netherlands — Kosovo — 2:1

October 7, 2022

Ukraine — Kosovo — 3:1

October 11, 2022

Ukraine — Netherlands — 4:2

November 9, 2022

Kosovo — Ukraine — 2:5

Standings Table

March 3, 2023

Kosovo — Netherlands

March 8, 2023

Netherlands — Ukraine

As a reminder, in the main round, 36 national teams are divided into 12 groups of three teams where matches take place home and away. The 12 group winners and four best second-placed teams advance to the elite round. The other eight second-placed teams will participate in the playoff stage of the main round.

Format

Qualification takes place over five stages: a preliminary round (mini-tournaments), the main round (groups with home and away matches), the playoffs of the main round (home and away matches), the elite round (groups with home and away matches) and the playoffs of the elite round (home and away matches).

Playoff Stage of the Main Round

Drawing: March 10, 2023.

Matches: April 10—19, 2023.

Eight teams will be divided into four pairs and matches will take place home and away. The winners advance to the elite round.

Elite Round

Drawing: July 5, 2023.

Matches: will be completed by December 20, 2023.

Twenty national teams will be divided into five groups of four teams each and matches will take place home and away. The five group winners advance to the World Championship. Four best second-placed teams advance to the playoffs of the elite round. If the European association is selected for hosting the final tournament, only two best second-placed teams will advance to the playoffs of the elite round.

Playoff Stage of the Elite Round

Drawing: January 25, 2024.

Matches: April 8—17, 2024.

Four teams will be divided into two pairs (if only two teams participate in the playoffs, a draw will determine match order), and matches will take place home and away. The winners advance to the World Championship.