Dmytro Mykhailenko: "There are new players the coaching staff wants to see in action"

08.10.2024 14:00

The Ukraine U-19 team (players born in 2006 or later) began their training camp in Spain on October 6 as they prepare for the qualifying round of EURO 2025 (U-19), which will take place in November. The Blue and Yellows will compete in a tournament featuring four teams.

The competition will follow an Olympic system, but it's important to note that three participants will include players in the U-18 age category. The semifinals, featuring Ukraine vs. Netherlands and England vs. Sweden, are scheduled for October 11. The match for third place and the final will take place on October 14.

The head coach of our team, Dmytro Mykhailenko, shared insights about their current preparations with the UAF official website.

— In this camp, the two matches in the tournament in Marbella will serve as a platform to find the best combinations of players in defense and attack, — said the coach. — We need these matches to understand which players work best in different tactical setups.

We have new players that the coaching staff wants to see in action. These are players who have excelled at the club level in September and October. After this camp, we will determine who will travel for the European Championship qualifiers.

There is strong competition among us, with very talented midfielders, as well as many players who are looking good in attack. However, we need to assess how these guys perform at the national team level.

Although we will be facing teams a year younger than us in the friendly matches during the camp in Spain, the importance of the games does not diminish. First and foremost, we are focusing on our players. It’s crucial to understand which players are best suited for various situations. We haven’t worked together for long, but we have players who prefer defending, and there’s a group that likes to attack more. We need to bring all this together. We must take every opportunity to improve our cohesion so that we are as well-prepared as possible for the official matches.

Ukraine U-19 Roster

Goalkeepers: Vyacheslav Surkis (Dynamo Kyiv), Nazar Makarenko (Oleksandriya).

Defenders: Denys Dykyi, Vladyslav Zakharchenko, Maksym Korobov (all from Dynamo Kyiv), Vladyslav Shershen (Kolos Kovalivka), Artem Kopyl (Karpaty Lviv), Oleksandr Havrylenko (Slask, Poland).

Midfielders: Danylo Ishchenko, Kyrylo Osypenko (both from Dynamo Kyiv), Viktor Tsukanov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Hennadiy Synchuk (Metalist Kharkiv), Erik Kalinets (Rukh Lviv), Yaroslav Karaman (Polissya Zhytomyr), Christian Shevchenko (Watford, England), Maksym Len (Fortuna, Germany), Bohdan Budko (AZ, Netherlands), Artem Husol (Kolos Kovalivka).

Forwards: Matviy Ponomarenko (Dynamo Kyiv), Oleksandr Lomaha (Shakhtar Donetsk).

Youth National Team Tournament in Marbella

October 11, 2024

Semifinals:

England (U-18) vs. Sweden (U-18) at 15:30

Ukraine (U-19) vs. Netherlands (U-18) at 20:00

October 14, 2024

Third Place Match

12:30/14:30

Final

12:30/14:30

Match start times are in Kyiv time. The match on October 14 involving the Ukraine team will begin at 14:30.

It is worth noting that the Ukraine U-19 national team will participate in the EURO 2025 qualifying round in the Netherlands from November 13 to 19. In addition to the hosts, the Blue and Yellows will face the national teams of Kazakhstan and Slovenia.

EURO 2025 (U-19). Qualifying round. Group 1:

November 13, 2024

Ukraine — Kazakhstan (Assen, 20:00)

Slovenia — Netherlands (Veendam, 20:00)

November 16, 2024

Ukraine — Slovenia (Veendam, 13:00)

Netherlands — Kazakhstan (Assen, 17:00)

November 19, 2024

Netherlands — Ukraine (Veendam, 20:00)

Kazakhstan — Slovenia (Assen, 20:00)

All kickoff times are in Kyiv time.

Results of the UEFA EURO 2025 (U-19) qualifying round draw

Group 1: Ukraine, Netherlands, Slovenia, Kazakhstan.

Group 2: Germany, Hungary, Cyprus, Andorra.

Group 3: England, Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania.

Group 4: Turkiye, Poland, Malta, Gibraltar.

Group 5: France, Scotland, Wales, Liechtenstein.

Group 6: Czechia, Finland, Switzerland, San Marino.

Group 7: Ireland, Iceland, Azerbaijan, Moldova.

Group 8: Italy, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro.

Group 9: Norway, Sweden, Georgia, Estonia.

Group 10: Spain, Austria, Kosovo, Faroe Islands.

Group 11: Israel, Denmark, Northern Ireland, Albania.

Group 12: Slovakia, Latvia, North Macedonia, Luxembourg.

Group 13: Serbia, Croatia, Armenia, Belarus.

The elite round of qualification will include the top two teams from each group of the qualifying round and the best third-placed team. Alongside Portugal, in spring 2025, they will compete in seven groups for seven tickets to the final tournament. Romania received an automatic spot as the host.