Nataliya Ihnatovych: "Our team is focused on winning the group and returning to League A"

24.11.2024 13:00

On November 24, the Ukraine WU-19 team departed for Yerevan, traveling through Warsaw. There, they will compete in Round 1 of EURO 2025 (WU-19) in Group B6, where they will face Armenia and Israel.

In a comment to the UAF official website, the head coach of the Ukraine WU-19 team, Nataliya Ihnatovych, shared the latest updates from the team's camp:

- During the preparation period, we held training camps in September in Ternopil and just before departing for Armenia in Lviv. During these camps, we played two and one friendly matches, respectively. So, I have comprehensive information about the players' capabilities.

- Do you have all the players you wanted for the squad?

- Yes, we have 20 players in the delegation, three of whom play abroad. It’s great that there were no injuries. Everyone is in good form and eager to return home with a victory.

- Given that there are only three teams in your group, does that create any unpredictable situations, especially if you lose in the first match, which could make it difficult to recover?

- We ended up in this group by the luck of the draw, but I reiterate, that our goal is to take first place and return to League A. That's why in Ternopil and Lviv, we focused on a highly attacking 3-5-2 formation. I am satisfied with the players' performance.

- What do you know about your competitors, and who do you consider the most dangerous?

- We have video recordings of matches involving our opponents, and the Israeli team has left a better impression. However, these are clips from last year's matches, and there have been some changes in their line-ups since then. Though, their style of play has remained the same. I hope that our home preparations will come in handy, and the girls will not let us down.

Ukraine WU-19 Squad

Goalkeepers: Viktoriya Kalinchuk (Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih), Svitlana Sakhno (Kolos Kovalivka).

Defenders: Yelyzaveta Maslovska, Viktoriya Shevtsova (both from Shakhtar Donetsk), Mariya Ihnatenko, Diana Tkachuk (both from Ladomyr Volodymyr), Anastasiya Yaremchuk (Polissya Zhytomyr), Darina Krasnoborodko (Kolos Kovalivka).

Midfielders: Lidiya Zaborovets (Shakhtar Donetsk), Olena Martsenyuk, Diana Borovska (both from EMS-Podillia Vinnytsia), Anastasiya Tarasenko (Ladomyr Volodymyr), Anastasiya Stakhnyuk (Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih), Anastasiya Tarasyuk (Vorskla Poltava), Anna Klymova (KU AZS Warsaw, Poland), Anastasiya Myhal (DVTK, Hungary), Yevheniya Bielova (Zurich, Switzerland).

Forwards: Veronika Holovanchuk (Obolon Kyiv), Anastasiya Lyakhovych (Shakhtar Donetsk), Maryna Ptytsyna (SeaSters Odesa).

UEFA EURO 2025 (WU-19). Round 1. Group B6

November 26, 2024

Armenia vs. Ukraine (13:00)

November 29, 2024

Ukraine vs. Israel (13:00)

December 2, 2024

Israel vs. Armenia (13:00)

All kickoff times are Kyiv time.

League A

League A will feature 28 teams, including seven teams promoted from League B following round 2 of the 2023/2024 season, which concluded this spring. The teams have been divided into seven groups. The teams within each group will compete at a single venue in a mini-tournament format.

Teams that finish fourth in their groups will continue their season in League B's round 2. Seeding for round 2 will depend on the teams' rankings in the first round. Poland will also participate in the mini-tournament, although they are guaranteed a place in the finals as the host country.

League B

League B will consist of 23 teams, including those relegated from League A in round 2 of the 2023/2024 season and Malta, which returns to the tournament after a one-year absence. Participants will compete for promotion to League A in six groups. Group winners and the best runner-up based on matches against the first and third teams in their groups will move to the higher division.

Advancement to the Finals

Seven teams from League A's second round will join Poland in the final stage of EURO 2025.

EURO 2025 (WU-19). Round 1

League A

Group A1: Germany, Denmark, Greece, Kosovo.

Group A2: France, Portugal, Slovakia, North Macedonia.

Group A3: Ireland, Norway, Finland, Bulgaria.

Group A4: England, Poland, Italy, Turkiye.

Group A5: Serbia, Austria, Czechia, Faroe Islands.

Group A6: Spain, Belgium, Iceland, Northern Ireland.

Group A7: Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, Scotland.

League B

Group B1: Belarus, Albania, Montenegro, Moldova.

Group B2: Romania, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein.

Group B3: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wales, Lithuania, Georgia.

Group B4: Slovenia, Croatia, Luxembourg, Malta.

Group B5: Switzerland, Estonia, Cyprus, Azerbaijan.

Group B6: Ukraine, Israel, Armenia.