The day before the Euro-2024 qualification match against North Macedonia, head coach of the Ukraine national team Serhiy Rebrov held a press conference.

— What can you say about tomorrow's opponent?

— This team eliminated Italy in the playoff round of the 2022 World Cup and beat Germany away. We take this game very seriously. We need to respect our opponents, but also think about our own play. Tomorrow it's important to focus on our game, analyze mistakes made in the match against Germany, come out and play football.

— Today the squad for Ukraine's U-21 Euro 2023 was published, which includes players from the national team — Trubin, Sudakov, Mudryk, Vanat. When will you release them to the youth camp?

— We agreed that we would use these players in both matches. After the match against Malta, we'll see.

— Ukraine is considered a clear favorite for tomorrow's game. How do you approach this?

— I don't consider us to be favorites. We are playing away against a very strong team that has shown this in recent matches. We need to prove on the field that we are the favorites.

— What do you expect from tomorrow's match?

— I think tomorrow will be a different game than against Germany. We understand who we're playing against, and we understand the strength of North Macedonia's team. But we need to be aware of how we'll play ourselves. I expect a very tough game. I'm sure our players are ready for such a game.

— What is Mudryk's psychological state, considering his young age and not too successful performance at «Chelsea» this season? Did you have an individual talk with him?

— I speak with each player. I spoke with Mykhailo as well, he is in a stable psychological state. He, like the others, represents our country. All players make mistakes, especially at this age when we have three or four U-21 players in the main squad. We will support him, just as we do all players on the field.

— In the match against Germany, Stepanenko personally worked against Kimmich. North Macedonia has a similar player — Elmaz. How similar will Taras's task be for tomorrow's game?

— We didn't play man-to-man. But the German national team is not just about Kimmich. When Goretzka and Kimmich play together in midfield — that's real power. We understand that Elmaz is truly a leader of the team. But there are several players who work very well with the ball as well. We need to pay attention to them too.

— It is known that due to injuries Bondar and Pichalenko will not play. Are there any other personnel issues? What's the state of Mykolenko, who asked for a substitution in the game against Germany?

— Yes, there are some injuries that were sustained earlier rather than during training. Mykolenko feels absolutely fine and is preparing to play. He has other issues, but I'm confident it doesn't concern upcoming matches. All the boys are healthy and ready to play.

— This season we've seen Tsygankov at «Girona» in a slightly different position than he usually plays. He played closer to the center behind the striker against Germany. Do you see Viktor playing on this position in the future?

— We'll see. We look at training sessions. If a player can perform well in that role, they play there. I think Viktor has come into the game nicely, with good speed which he used against Germany. He played several matches in this position for Girona and did quite well. So we tried him there as the match was important.

The next match of Ukraine's national team will take place within Euro-2024 qualification — June 16 against North Macedonia. The game will be held in Skopje at the «Toshe Proeski» Stadium (kick-off at 9:45 PM Kyiv time).