The day before the first knockout match of the UEFA Nations League-2024/2025 against Belgium, head coach of Ukraine's national team Serhiy Rebrov held a press conference.

— What is the current squad situation?

— First and foremost, I would like to express gratitude to our soldiers who are currently defending our independence against the aggressor. It's a great honor for us to play under the flag of Ukraine. Regarding the players, Artem Dovbik had a high fever. Unfortunately, it's an infection. Our doctors are doing everything possible; we'll see tomorrow. Today he did not train with the main group. Also, Maxim Talovev arrived at the team with an injury and has already returned to his club. Other boys are working and preparing, they understand how important these two matches are for our team.

— How difficult was it to prepare for the opponent who changed their head coach? Should we expect a different game from Belgium compared to Euro 2024?

— The Belgian national team is very well-balanced and has a large selection of players. There are even players missing this encounter. It's hard to prepare because you don't know exactly who will play in which position. Many players, high competition... We'll see. I don't think the game plan with the new coach will change much; we've analyzed how he worked before. We analyze the opponent and bring information to the boys. But it's very important what we show ourselves. If we want to compete on equal terms against such an opponent, we need to work at maximum capacity and play the football that we demand.

— Recently, various bloggers have claimed that there is an attack on you, trying to push you out of the Ukrainian Football Association. Are you aware of anything about this, and do you feel any additional pressure beyond the usual results pressure in these matches?

— I generally consider that every game our national team plays now — not just for the result. It's also about the spirit of Ukrainians. The boys all understand that, regardless of the status of the match, we need to show our maximum and play for victory.

Regarding pressure. There was no pressure from the federation at all. I heard this for the first time. Yes, someone told me something is being written, but my relations with Andriy Mykolaiovych and the entire federation are completely professional. No problems on either side.

— What do you remember about your last encounter with Belgium? We know that their team has changed. Has anything changed in our national team compared to the previous match?

— Why should something change? The players are almost the same, we add more footballers. I consider these completely different matches. At Euro, we needed a win and created enough chances to win. Belgium was satisfied with a draw; they weren't as aggressive. In the Nations League, it was an entirely different team that played much more intensely against us than at Euro. We need to focus on our game, respect Belgium. The confrontation consists of two matches. Tomorrow we only play the first half.

— Due to the absence of Mykhailo Mudryk in Ukraine's national team, there is a problem with the position of left winger. Do you have any original ideas for solving this issue?

— First and foremost, we all support Mykhailo, help him. He's an important player for our national team, a young footballer. I wish him the fastest possible return to football. Regarding tomorrow's match, we had a training camp, played a friendly game among ourselves. We tried several options at this position. You'll see who plays tomorrow. Once again, I emphasize that tomorrow we only have the first half. It will be very important how we play in Genk.

— Today it was announced that Ukraine's national team will participate in a friendly tournament in Canada in June.

— Yes, we had several options for these matches. I'm very glad that we chose Canada because it's a partner of Ukraine not only in football but also in support. It will be interesting to play there as the country will host World Cup matches. There is a large Ukrainian diaspora in Canada, which will be pleasant for all of us. We'll play against Canada and New Zealand. As far as I remember, our national team hasn't played against the latter yet. This will be an interesting experience. It's important for us and the country.

— You called up only four central defenders. Can this be seen as a sign that Ukraine won't play against Belgium with three center-backs, as they did at Euro? Why exactly this choice?

— We called up Oleksandr Svytok, we have enough central defenders. We can play both with two and three center-backs. When the team plays with three, sometimes players' roles may differ. They might nominally be central defenders but perform other functions. Sometimes a defensive midfielder drops back lower. I consider that we've called up sufficient central defenders. We're in a difficult situation with yellow cards, so tomorrow we need to be very careful.

Recall that the UEFA Nations League knockout matches against Belgium will take place on March 20 in Murcia and March 23 in Genk.