Dmytro Mykhailenko: "Netherlands are the group favorites, but we won't underestimate any opponents"

11.11.2024 15:00

The head coach of the Ukraine U-19 team, Dmytro Mykhailenko, shared details about the team's preparation for the EURO-2025 qualifying round.

The training camp for the Ukraine U-19 (players born in 2006 or later) started and the team will take part in the qualifying round of EURO-2025 (U-19) being held from November 13 to 19. Head coach Dmytro Mykhailenko spoke to the UAF's official website about the team's preparations for the tournament.

— Mr. Mykhailenko, how is the mood at the start of the camp?

— The mood is fighting, and all the players understand the responsibility of this competition, so the coaching staff is optimistic about the near future.

— Is the team’s roster in good shape?

— Unfortunately, just a week before the camp began, midfielder Bohdan Budko from Dutch side AZ suffered an injury. All the other players we wanted to have in the squad have arrived.

— There is a new player in the squad — Zakhar Baumann...

— We have been following this player for a long time and have kept in touch with him. He is a quality central midfielder who regularly plays for Manchester United’s U-18, U-19, and U-21 teams, winning championships. We are glad that his Ukrainian passport issue has been resolved. I believe he is a great addition to the Ukrainian team. He was born in 2007 and has huge potential.

— Do you have enough information on the opponents — Netherlands, Slovenia, and Kazakhstan?

— We have plenty of information. We even saw the hosts a month ago live during our training camp in Spain. For obvious reasons, I wouldn't want to go into too much detail about these teams’ tactics. We will try to exploit the weaknesses of the opponents during the matches. Of course, the coaching staff will show the players how to play against each opponent.

— Are Netherlands the favorites of the group?

— Netherlands is a strong team, so I think they are the clear favorites of our group. As for the other teams, I don't want to underestimate any of the opponents. Slovenia is currently on the rise. This applies to all their teams, starting with the national one. Many of the U-19 players play in Italy, which says a lot. As for Kazakhstan, all their players are from local clubs. So, until the qualification games start, I believe all teams have an equal chance.

— The Ukraine team will have very little time to prepare for the tournament...

— These are the realities, and there's nothing we can do about it. We’ll essentially only have one pre-game session. Last weekend, the players were with their clubs, and then on Wednesday, we will have our first match against Kazakhstan. Recovery will be very important. It will be tough, and the psychological aspect will be key to helping the players focus on the national team matches and recall everything we worked on previously.

— Is finishing first in the group the top priority?

— Our goal is to make it to the elite round of the tournament, and how we finish in the group doesn’t matter as much.

Ukraine U-19 Squad:

Goalkeepers: Vyacheslav Surkis (Dynamo Kyiv), Nazar Makarenko (Oleksandriya), Markiyan Bakus (Rukh Lviv).

Defenders: Denys Dykyi, Vladyslav Zakharchenko, Maksym Korobov (all – Dynamo Kyiv), Vladyslav Shershen (Kolos Kovalivka), Daniel Vernattus, Kyrylo Dihtyar (both – Metalist Kharkiv), Oleksandr Havrylenko (Śląsk Wrocław, Poland).

Midfielders: Danylo Ishchenko, Kyrylo Osypenko, Bohdan Redushko (all – Dynamo Kyiv), Viktor Tsukanov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Hennadiy Synchuk (Metalist Kharkiv), Artem Husol (Kolos Kovalivka), Christian Shevchenko (Watford, England), Zakhar Baumann (Manchester United, England), Maksym Len (Fortuna, Germany).

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

The Ukraine U-19 team will participate in the EURO 2025 qualifying round in the Netherlands from November 13 to 19. In addition to the host team, the Ukrainians will face 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.