The head coach of the Ukraine national team, Oleksandr Petrakov, appeared at a press conference ahead of the home game against Ireland in the Nations League, which will take place in Łódź, Poland on June 14 (kick-off at 21:45 Kyiv time).

— Is it difficult to win five matches in a row during this tough period for the country? How do your players approach this?

— If I won five matches, then now I would be in the World Cup final... It's hard or not, but that's our job. We are doing work for the country, we play football not for ourselves. We play to bring some positive emotions to our fellow citizens.

— What is the squad situation with Ukraine?

— Roman Yaremchuk has a groin injury, we are going to do an MRI scan. Oleksandr Zubkov has a fever, he won't be at the pre-match training session. Yesterday there was a game collision between Eduard Sobol and Denis Popov. They went for medical help but will train. Andriy Yarmolenko will train today. He asked himself yesterday; he is the captain of the team. Ruslan Malinovsky also had a fever yesterday, we'll see how he feels today. The whole team has been sick to some extent. Let's say everything is fine.

— Can you confirm that everyone really got sick?

— Yes, it was a cold after Wales.

— Will you and the players return to Ukraine after the matches with the national team?

— If we talk about me, then I am going to Ukraine, to Kyiv. I love my country, I'm going home.

— Did you feel at home during the match against Armenia? Did you feel solidarity with supporters?

— Yes, we felt at home. This is not the first time in Łódź; it was my initiative to play here. Many Ukrainians came to the stadium. Friends of mine came to me in the city center. People approached me and thanked me. The atmosphere was very nice. Thank you to supporters, thank you Poland for the reception both three years ago and now. They treat us as if we were at home.

— Andriy Pyatov emotionally said goodbye to the Ukraine national team...

— Yes, he is a great player who deserves such farewells. He wanted to leave earlier but I asked him not to do it. I said let's send you off and put you in the game against Armenia. We did that; I think everything worked out well for us. We bid farewell to Andriy. It was his initiative to leave the team, but this is life.

— The Irish will not play their leading defenders — Shane Duffy and John Egan. Does this simplify your task?

— This is a Nations League where new players are being tested. I think the coach will find someone to put in place. It may be a serious loss when playing matches for qualification to the World Cup or Europe. But now... The Nations League is held not just for friendly games but with tournament objectives. I don't think Ireland will have any problems with this.

— Will the Irish play with the same tactics as in their previous match?

— I don't know, we'll see tomorrow. We are ready for everything and focus only on our team and our game. How the opponent will play — we'll see on the football field.

— In case of a win, Ukraine's national team could secure first place in the group. Is the team aware of this?

— When you start counting something before the game, it never matches up; believe me. This is football, this is sports.