Yuriy Moroz: "Belgium is the tournament favorite, but Ukraine has its own plans"

07.10.2024 13:00

The Ukraine U-17 team (players born no later than 2009) will aim to advance to the next round of the EURO 2025 (U-17) qualifiers.

The Ukraine U-17 squad has already arrived in Belgium, where they will compete in Round 1 of EURO 2025 (U-17) qualifiers. Yuriy Moroz, the head coach of the Blue and Yellows, shared insights on the team's preparation with the UAF official website.

— Mr. Moroz, you have only two full days to prepare for the EURO 2025 qualifiers. Is that enough?

— It’s not much, but the most important thing is that in the current situation in Ukraine, we can compete, and for that, we are deeply grateful to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I believe the boys understand the significance of this moment, and the importance of the tournament, and will approach it with full responsibility. There is no other option.

— Were you able to gather all the top players for the squad?

— Yes, practically all the players on our radar have traveled to Belgium.

— How much information do you have about your opponents?

— We've done a solid analysis of Kosovo and Kazakhstan. We've also studied Belgium, but since we'll face them in the last match, we'll have the chance to observe them during the tournament. Our players must remember their strengths and play our game.

— Is Belgium the clear favorite of the tournament?

— Probably, yes. When determining a favorite on paper, we often discuss teams representing traditional footballing nations. Belgium is certainly a football nation with a strong league and quality players. Their national teams are competitive at all levels.

— Is it fair to say that Ukraine is not focusing on specific goals?

— Naturally, we will aim to win every match, but our main objective is to progress to the next round of the European Championship qualifiers. Once again, I acknowledge that Belgium is the favorite, but we have our plans.

Ukraine U-17 Squad

Goalkeepers: Rostyslav Bahlay (Shakhtar Donetsk), Kyrylo Khadasevych (Wolfsburg, Germany), Yehor Krapivin (Espanyol, Spain).

Defenders: Nikita Kalyuzhnyi, Yaroslav Mylokost, Yehor Onishchuk (all from Shakhtar Donetsk), Arsen Zalypka, Dmytro Solomon (both from Rukh Lviv), Nikita Malnyk (Imolese, Italy), Oleksandr Tkachenko (Werder Bremen, Germany), Nazar Khlivnyuk (Fortuna Düsseldorf, Germany).

Midfielders: Pavlo Lyusin, Ivan Andreyko (both from Dynamo Kyiv), Artem Zubriy (Shakhtar Donetsk), Mukhammad Dzhurabaiev, Danylo Slyva (both from Rukh Lviv), Illia Kutia (Hajduk, Croatia), Mykola Petrovskyi (Stuttgart, Germany), Arseniy Shyshkevych (Rio Ave, Portugal).

Forwards: Dmytro Zudin (Hajduk, Croatia), Illia Menshykov (Austria Wien, Austria).

EURO 2025 (U-17) Qualifying Round. Group 4

October 9, 2024

Kosovo vs Ukraine (Genk, 15:00)

Belgium vs Kazakhstan (Liège, 20:00)

October 12, 2024

Ukraine vs Kazakhstan (Eupen, 15:00)

Belgium vs Kosovo (Genk, 20:00)

October 15, 2024

Ukraine vs Belgium (Genk, 16:00)

Kazakhstan vs Kosovo (Liège, 16:00)

All match times are Kyiv time.

Results of the EURO 2024/2025 U-17 qualifying round draw

Group 1: England, Sweden, Latvia, Malta.

Group 2: Poland, Slovenia, Georgia, Armenia.

Group 3: Netherlands, Croatia, Albania, Faroe Islands.

Group 4: Belgium, Ukraine, Kosovo, Kazakhstan.

Group 5: Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Liechtenstein.

Group 6: Hungary, Greece, Romania, Azerbaijan.

Group 7: Germany, Czechia, Belarus, Andorra.

Group 8: Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Lithuania.

Group 9: Italy, Norway, Wales, San Marino.

Group 10: Switzerland, Israel, Montenegro, Moldova.

Group 11: France, Slovakia, Cyprus, Gibraltar.

Group 12: Spain, Iceland, North Macedonia, Estonia.

Group 13: Serbia, Turkiye, Bulgaria.

Group 14: Denmark, Austria, Luxembourg.

The top two teams from each group advance to the second round of qualifiers. Following this, 28 teams will compete in seven groups in League A in spring 2025 for seven spots in the final tournament, to be held in Albania in the summer. The host team automatically qualifies, although they will still participate in the qualifiers.

The remaining teams in the second round will compete in League B, aiming for spots in League A of the first qualifying stage for EURO 2027 (U-19).

It's worth noting that EURO 2024/2025 (U-17) serves as UEFA's qualifying tournament for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup, featuring 48 teams in Qatar.