Semi-defender of the national team of Ukraine Taras Stepanenko participated in a press conference ahead of the decisive Euro-2024 qualification match against Italy, along with head coach Serhiy Rebrov.

-- Over the past weekend, we saw our players shine in top leagues. Does this add positivity to the team compared to previous training sessions?

-- It's always nice when our boys win matches. We keep track of them, send messages, and congratulate them on active plays in attack or defense. For them, it’s important to be confident in what they do. When you score a goal, your team wins against such intense matches — that's great, it boosts the players' confidence.

-- Is there any pressure? What is on your mind before the game?

-- We have many players who have played matches at this level. Mentally, everyone is ready; there's a good atmosphere in the team. We can't say that this match is the climax of something as media reports suggest. Our work throughout the year has brought us to the point where we have the opportunity to play a decisive match tomorrow. If you look back, each qualifier match was responsible and allowed us to move forward and have a chance to qualify for Euro. So tomorrow — another match on our path. Each group game was such, but tomorrow there should be a bit more concentration and confidence in one's own abilities.

-- What can you say about the training session with "Lechia" that took place yesterday?

-- Everyone had their playing time in this match, some played more, others less. In principle, everyone participated, no problems.

Reminder: The Euro-2024 qualifier match between the national teams of Ukraine and Italy will take place on November 20 at the BayArena stadium in Leverkusen, Germany (kick-off at 9:45 PM Kyiv time).