Today, November 15, ahead of the World Cup 2026 qualifier match against Iceland in Warsaw, head coach of the Ukraine national team Serhiy Rebrov held a press conference.

— Georgiy Sudakov was injured and has left the squad. How did this affect your plans for the match against Iceland? Who will replace him, and did you know earlier that he wouldn't be able to help the team?

— Yes, unfortunately, he pulled out and returned to Benfica to recover. No, I didn’t know about his injury. Even when he came out for warm-up before the match, I had no information. But after the first half, already in the dressing room, Georgiy said that he couldn't continue. In the morning we did an examination which confirmed the seriousness of the injury. He got this injury at Benfica as well, since he didn’t train with us.

As for the game plan — unfortunately, we often have injured players, so we work with those who are available. They should determine the result tomorrow.

— What are the key moments from the first match against Iceland that need to be preserved?

— We need to preserve what we had in Iceland: quick attacks in the first half, which led to goals. And pressing in the second half — it also brought goals. These factors are important to keep. But tomorrow we have to be more aggressive since we play at home and only a win will satisfy us. We need to think about how to score.

— In the first meeting, you didn’t bunker even with a 3-3 draw, but continued to take risks. Tomorrow’s match is decisive — how much risk is acceptable? Should we play more pragmatically?

— Unexpected decisions are what the boys make on the field. We were leading 3-1, but Iceland equalized. We pushed forward because we wanted to win. A draw didn’t satisfy us. Tomorrow will be the same. If we score first, it doesn't mean we should retreat. Character will come into play. Players need to be fighters. We are fighting for all of Ukraine. And tomorrow there will be great support — Ukrainians and Poles. Everyone needs to show character.

— The match against Iceland decides everything, unlike the game in Paris. Does it help that you played with a conditional reserve against France?

— I hope so. We always say that it’s hard for Ukraine's national team to play a second match — travel, move, recover in two days... So now, before the decisive game, we made a rotation. I hope this will help. But rest is not form. It needs to be shown on the field.

Iceland plays intensely every match — even after two or three days. Unfortunately, we don’t have that, but I understand why. Ukrainian players travel a lot — Shakhtar and Dynamo have many games. I think this rest could be an advantage.

— If you compare how Ukraine and Iceland played against Azerbaijan and France — the Icelanders looked more confident. But you beat them away, and before that made it to Euro with a win in the play-offs. Can we say that you found keys to this tough opponent? And what's your feeling given that bookmakers consider Ukraine an obvious favorite for tomorrow’s game?

— Every match is different. You can’t think it will be the same as in Iceland tomorrow. It will be a completely different encounter, and we need to be ready for this. The tactics will also be different, and the opponent will play differently.

We respect our opponent — yesterday and today we analyzed their matches. But we have to think about ourselves. Yes, Iceland is a good team, strong on set pieces. But our task is to go out with the right attitude and understanding of how to win. I hope it will be so tomorrow.

Reminder, the match Ukraine — Iceland will take place this Sunday, November 16 in Warsaw at the Legia Stadium (kick-off at 4 PM Kyiv time). Only a victory will qualify the blue and yellow team for the playoffs.