Unai Melgosa: "Focused video analysis of our opponents starts now"

05.12.2024 14:30

On December 3, the final EURO 2025 (U-21) tournament groups were drawn in Bratislava. Ukraine’s U-21 team was placed in Group D alongside Netherlands, Denmark, and Finland.

Head coach of the Blue and Yellows, Unai Melgosa, shared his impressions of the draw with the UAF press service:

- How would you rate the teams in Group D?

- All the teams participating in the European Championship, including ours, are of a very high level. The opportunity to compete with these teams is crucial for both our collective and individual development.

- What do you think of each opponent?

- Every participant earned their spot at the Euros on merit. Therefore, we respect all our opponents. From now on, we’ll study them more thoroughly, and over time, I’ll have a clearer perspective on their strengths. But one thing is certain: names don’t matter as much as the team’s overall play.

- Have you watched any of their matches during qualification?

- Only highlights so far, but focused video analysis of our opponents starts now.

- Do you think being in Pot 2 made the draw slightly easier for Ukraine?

- You can never predict how things will unfold. We don’t focus on that.

- What lessons have you learned from the qualification campaign? Why didn’t Ukraine finish first in the group?

- Our priority is player development. In this sense, I believe we made progress during the qualifiers. As for finishing second, England earned more points than us, which is why they were ahead. We need to evaluate the entire campaign, not just the last two games, which, by the way, I think we could have achieved better results. In any case, we accept the outcome and aim to learn from it.

Photo by UAF press service

- Could you comment on Ukraine U-21's friendly matches against Portugal (3:3) and Italy (2:2) in November? What insights did these games provide to the coaching staff?

- Those were very insightful 10 days. Between the two matches, we observed new players and the team’s evolution. Some players made significant progress, which can benefit their personal development. As a coach, I’m grateful for their effort and hope they continue moving in this direction to make my job of selecting players for the European Championship more challenging.

- What are the plans for preparing the team for the EURO 2025 final tournament next year?

- We’ll use the FIFA window in March to play a few friendly matches. After the conclusion of the Ukrainian Premier League, we’ll focus entirely on preparation for the tournament in Slovakia.

EURO 2025 (U-21) Final Tournament

Group Stage

Group A: Slovakia, Spain, Italy, Romania

Group B: Czechia, England, Germany, Slovenia

Group C: Portugal, France, Poland, Georgia

Group D: Finland, Netherlands, Ukraine, Denmark

June 12, 2025

Ukraine vs. Denmark (Prešov, 19:00)

Finland vs. Netherlands (Košice, 22:00)

June 15, 2025

Finland vs. Ukraine (Košice, 19:00)

Netherlands vs. Denmark (Prešov, 22:00)

June 18, 2025

Denmark vs. Finland (Košice, 19:00)

Netherlands vs. Ukraine (Prešov, 19:00)

Quarterfinals

June 21, 2025

Match 26: C1 vs. D2 (Žilina, 19:00)

Match 25: A1 vs. B2 (Trnava, 22:00)

June 22, 2025

Match 27: B1 vs. A2 (Dunajská Streda, 19:00 or 22:00)

Match 28: D1 vs. C2 (Prešov, 19:00 or 22:00)

Semifinals

June 25, 2025

Match 29: Winner of Match 25 vs. Winner of Match 26 (Bratislava, 19:00 or 22:00)

Match 30: Winner of Match 27 vs. Winner of Match 28 (Košice, 19:00 or 22:00)

Final

June 28, 2025

Match 31: Winner of Match 29 vs. Winner of Match 30 (Bratislava, 22:00)

Match kick-off times are Kyiv time.

As a reminder, the final tournament will take place from June 11 to June 28, 2025, in eight Slovak cities: Bratislava, Trnava, Dunajská Streda, Košice, Žilina, Trenčín, Nitra, and Prešov.

Seedings for the Draw

Pot 1: Spain (42,177), England (39,964), Portugal (39,098), Netherlands (38,730)

Pot 2: Germany (36,793), France (35,632), Ukraine (33,734), Italy (33,701)

Pot 3: Denmark (33,266), Romania (31,493), Poland (30,732), Czechia(30,100)

Pot 4: Georgia (29,226), Slovenia (28,886), Finland (28,552), Slovakia (27,248)

During the draw, UEFA allocated the teams (from Pot 1 to Pot 4) into four groups of four. After the group stage, the top two teams from each group will proceed to the quarterfinals.