The Ukrainian U-17 national team (players born in or after 2008) has completed a training camp held in Croatia. During this period, our team played two friendlies, drawing with Turkey (1:1) and winning against Greece (4:2). The official website of the UAF asked head coach of the blue-and-yellow squad Oleksandr Sitnik to summarize this stage of preparation.

— Mr. Oleksandr,, first and foremost, I would like to ask how you received the proposal to lead the Ukrainian U-17 team, and for how long did you think about it?

— Such invitations are not pondered over for long (smiles), as any coach considers it a prestigious job — training the national team of Ukraine, in my case — players born in 2008. This proposal seemed very interesting to me and is a step forward in my career.

— Your work started right away. Did you get acquainted with the team during the training camp?

— Since youth squads of Kyiv 'Dynamo' and Donetsk 'Shakhtar' participated in European matches, not all players from these clubs were released. Therefore, we had to quickly find replacements for them. Some I knew better, others less, but during the training sessions and friendlies, it was a process of getting acquainted with the entire team.

— The squad has changed significantly compared to the qualification stage. Is this solely due to the absence of Dynamo players and miners?

— Yes. Since this training camp was planned in advance, we did not yet know the dates for UEFA U-17 League matches involving Ukrainian teams. We were waiting until the last moment for club responses regarding who they could release to the national team.

— What approach does Ona Melnyk require from coaches of youth national teams?

— We should have a vertical for all national teams. He emphasizes how everything should look, which aspects to focus on in player preparation so they can easily transition between age groups regardless of who is the coach.

My job as a coach — helping players develop, ensuring this process happens smoothly and naturally, and striving for maximum results within national teams.

— Summarize the training camp during which the Ukrainian team drew with Turkey and won in Greece.

— First of all, I can say that the training was fruitful. We played against opponents who also made it to the elite round. It was interesting to see ourselves against strong teams. As a coach, I needed to observe both strengths and weaknesses of my players in the context of March official matches. We gave every player approximately equal playing time.

Regarding the friendlies themselves, we played almost an hour and a half with Turkey at a disadvantage due to a red card. However, the Ukrainian team looked good; the Turks created virtually nothing in front of our goal. We were active without the ball, tried to impose our game, pressed well, and could have scored more.

The match against Greece also started poorly for us. On the 6th minute, we conceded a senseless goal, and while the team was recovering from the shock, they added another on set-piece. However, it's crucial that the boys didn't stop but continued to play as planned. Our activity helped turn the tide of the match and go into halftime tied. At the start of the second half, fortune smiled at us when their player scored an own goal. The rest of the game was roughly even, but we managed another goal near the end.

The coaching staff received plenty of information. We saw what needs work both individually and as a team. Now there's time to analyze everything, see how candidates look in their clubs, and prepare well for the qualifiers.

— Can you say how many percent of the squad that will travel to Croatia have been decided?

— First and foremost, we hope everyone stays healthy. We have an expanded list with around 40 players, and we'll keep track of all of them. So at this moment, I can't say anyone has secured a spot in the delegation yet. I told the players that it depends solely on them. The best performers will go.

— A month remains until the start of the qualifiers. How much information do you have about opponents?

— There's never enough information, although currently there isn't much simply because we don't know which squads our opponents will field. During our training camp, there were Croatians too, but it's hard to say if this was their main or experimental squad. So there's still time to study and analyze. I believe our analysts will find everything necessary for a thorough understanding of the opposition. I'm confident we'll be fully prepared by March.

The Ukrainian U-17 team is in Group A1 along with Italy, Croatia, and Slovakia in the second round of Euro 2025 (U-17) qualifiers. The mini-tournament will take place from March 19 to 25 in Croatia. Only the group winner advances to the final tournament.

Euro 2025 (U-17). Second Qualifying Round. Group A1

March 19, 2025

Ukraine — Croatia (Karlovac, 13:00)

Italy — Slovakia (Seget, 16:30)

March 22, 2025

Italy — Ukraine (Lutsko, 13:00)

Croatia — Slovakia (Karlovac, 16:30)

March 25, 2025

Croatia — Italy (Lutsko, 16:30)

Slovakia — Ukraine (Seget, 16:30)

Kick-off times are in Kyiv time.

Draw Results for the Second Qualifying Round of Euro 2025 (U-17)

League A

Group A1: Italy, Croatia, Ukraine, Slovakia.

Group A2: Spain, Austria, Germany, Norway.

Group A3: France, Greece, Denmark, Finland.

Group A4: Portugal, Serbia, Netherlands, Hungary.

Group A5: Czech Republic, Switzerland, Turkey, Sweden.

Group A6: Belgium, Poland, Iceland, Ireland.

Group A7: England, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Israel.

28 teams were divided into seven groups of four participants each. The seven group winners in League A will qualify for the final tournament of Euro 2025 (U-17), which will take place from May 19 to June 1, hosted by Albania. Seven teams finishing fourth in their respective groups in League A will drop down to League B in the first round of qualification for Euro 2027 (U-19).

League B

Group B1: Romania, North Macedonia, Scotland, Liechtenstein.

Group B2: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Armenia, San Marino.

Group B3: Montenegro, Latvia, Estonia, Gibraltar.

Group B4: Kosovo, Cyprus, Moldova, Andorra.

Group B5: Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Malta, Faroe Islands.

Group B6: Albania, Wales, Azerbaijan.

Group B7: Lithuania, Georgia, Kazakhstan.

26 teams were divided into five groups of four participants and two groups of three participants. The seven group winners in League B will rise to League A in the first round of qualification for Euro 2027 (U-19).

It is worth noting that Euro 2025 (U-17) will serve as a qualifier for the World Cup 2025 in the U-17 category, which will feature 48 national teams in Qatar.

U-17: How Ukraine's youth team can qualify for the 2025 World Cup