Serhiy Rebrov: "Germany has improved and is showing results compared to our last match"

02.06.2024 15:55

Photo by Dan Balashov

On the eve of the friendly match against Germany, the head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Serhiy Rebrov, held a press conference.

- In Germany, people say that football is one of the best things in the world. What does football mean to you and your country?

- Unfortunately, football is not the top priority in Ukraine right now. We are all doing everything we can for our defenders. Qualifying for the Euro is a very important step for us. What we have achieved is truly significant for our people and our country. I believe that football is number one in Germany. It used to be the same in Ukraine. But now we have to think about other things.

- What can you say about the German national team?

- The German team has a new coach. In my opinion, the team has become more disciplined and has good players both in defense and attack. Compared to our last match, Germany has improved and is showing results. Unfortunately, they won’t be able to use players from Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund tomorrow. However, the Germans have a wide selection of players for every position.

- What are your team's goals for EURO 2024?

- We are very happy to represent Ukraine at such a tournament. Everyone will be able to see our flag at the Euro. Ukraine aspires to join the European family, so it is important to be here with the best teams on the continent.

- How strong is your team? Are you aiming for at least a quarter-final spot?

- We need to focus on each game. We have a good balance between young and experienced players. Our first match at the Euro is against Romania, and we need to concentrate on preparing for it. We’ll see after that.

- What is your opinion on Andriy Lunin remaining on the bench for the Champions League final?

- In my opinion, he deserved to play, but unfortunately, he couldn’t prepare for the match due to a cold. For us, players must have such experience before the Euro, especially if they play for the best club in Europe, which is Real Madrid at the moment. And this applies not only to Andriy. I am happy that many of our young players represent Ukraine in leading leagues.

- What is the hardest part of preparing for the European Championship?

- It’s always hard to compare. If you compare it with our defenders who are protecting Ukraine, it’s nothing. What’s the problem—traveling a bit further? All our players understand this. I told them that qualifying for the Euro is a great success. But we need to give our best to be competitive in the final tournament.

- Artem Dovbyk became the top scorer in the Spanish league. How important is he for the team?

- I am glad that many of our players play in top leagues. Of course, Artem’s status as the top scorer has given him confidence before the Euro, which is very important for him. Players who come to the national team from leading championships bring experience to the whole team.

- What do you think about security during the European Championship?

- We have been in Germany for several days now. I am confident that this is a country that will do everything possible to ensure the safety of all the teams. As you saw during the Champions League final, people ran onto the field, which was not very good. The whole world watches these episodes. I am sure Germany will do everything for security.

- What is the condition of the players? Have Georhiy Sudakov and Vitaliy Mykolenko completed their recovery?

- Everyone is ready. Today everyone is working in the general group, while yesterday a few players trained individually.

- When will Lunin join the Ukrainian national team?

- They had a celebration. We allowed him to stay with the club. He deserves it. Lunin will join us in Warsaw, where we will move after the game against Germany.

- Have you considered calling up more players to the Ukrainian national team?

We currently have two tournaments — the European Championship and the one that will be held in France before the Olympics. If something happens, we will be able to call up players, as the official roster will be submitted on June 7. Players have already been called up for the next three games, and then we will see their condition.

Ukraine national team roster:

Goalkeepers: Georgiy Bushchan (Dynamo Kyiv), Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica, Portugal), Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid, Spain).

Defenders: Mykola Matviyenko, Yukhym Konoplya, Valeriy Bondar (all Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Tymchyk (Dynamo Kyiv), Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton, England), Illia Zabarnyi (Bournemouth, England), Oleksandr Svatok (SK Dnipro-1), Maksym Talovierov (LASK, Austria), Bohdan Mykhaylichenko (Polissya Zhytomyr).

Midfielders: Andriy Yarmolenko, Mykola Shaparenko, Volodymyr Brazhko (all Dynamo Kyiv), Taras Stepanenko, Oleksandr Zubkov, Georgiy Sudakov (all Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal, England), Viktor Tsygankov (Girona, Spain), Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea, England), Serhiy Sydorchuk (Westerlo, Belgium), Ruslan Malinovskyi (Genoa, Italy).

Forwards: Artem Dovbyk (Girona, Spain), Roman Yaremchuk (Valencia, Spain), Vladyslav Vanat (Dynamo Kyiv).

Reserve list: Dmytro Riznyk, Danylo Sikan (both Shakhtar Donetsk), Denys Popov, Vitaliy Buyalskyi, Vladyslav Kabaiev (all Dynamo Kyiv), Yehor Yarmolyuk (Brentford, England).

On June 3, the team will play a friendly match against the hosts of EURO 2024 in Nuremberg, Germany. Kick-off is at 21:45 Kyiv time.

The next day, the team will fly to Warsaw, Poland. In the capital of the neighboring country, Ukraine will play its next preparatory and friendly match against Poland on June 7. Kick-off is at 21:45 Kyiv time.

The final match before the pre-tournament camp will be against the Moldovan national team on June 11 in Chisinau, Moldova. Kick-off is at 19:00 Kyiv time.

On June 12, the national team will arrive at their permanent base for EURO 2024 in Wiesbaden.

Group E Match Schedule for EURO 2024

June 17: Romania vs Ukraine. Arena Munich, Munich. Kick-off: 16:00 Kyiv time.

June 17: Belgium vs Slovakia. Frankfurt Stadium, Frankfurt. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.

June 21: Slovakia vs Ukraine. Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf. Kick-off: 16:00 Kyiv time.

June 22: Belgium vs Romania. Cologne Stadium, Cologne. Kick-off: 22:00 Kyiv time.

June 26: Slovakia vs Romania. Frankfurt Stadium, Frankfurt. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.

June 26: Ukraine vs Belgium. Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.

Kick-off times are in Kyiv time.

Oleksandr Hlyvynskyi, press secretary of the Ukrainian national team