Ukrainian national team defender and Everton player Vitaliy Mykolenko responded to questions from the UAF press service about the national team's preparation for upcoming Euro-2024 qualification matches against England and Italy.

— Vitali, this is already your third time gathering in this qualifying cycle. What feelings do you have about coming to the team?

— Every time I come to the national team, I say: "Only positive emotions." I'm happy to see everyone — both the guys and the coaching staff. 

— Right now, the club season is just getting underway in both England and Ukraine. How do you assess your functional readiness?

— The start of the season wasn't the best for me. There was a minor injury, but now I'm back in action, so here I am. I feel that I'm in good functional shape. But right now I don't think about my club — only about the national team.

— After three matches in our group, we have six points. Two wins against Malta and North Macedonia and a loss to England. Do you think this is a fair result?

— We played as we did, and that's probably the way it should be. Right now almost everyone has gathered here, and our goal is the next match.

— We've faced England a few times recently. So far, we haven't been able to play on equal footing with them. Is this our level or are there other reasons?

— Let's not be dishonest. The English have a much better selection of players than us. So the last two matches against them, when I played, didn't go well. But I think it will happen one day. The main thing is to prepare properly. We do have chances for revenge against England. 

— What can our national team offer the English?

— So far, we haven't discussed the match with England with the coaching staff. But I think that against such teams you need to have a proper plan and stick to it. If there's discipline on the field — everything will be fine.

— Both England and Italy are top-class teams...

— We'll face two top national teams in three days. It will be tough, but that's why we're here to fight them.

— England and Italy have different playing styles. Which one do you think we can better counter?

— I can only say that Italian football is more disciplined and tactical, while English football is stronger in defense and a bit more individualistic in attack. 

— And how do your teammates perceive this match?

— I won't say who because Jordan will get upset, but my teammates said they'll support me. They were Englishmen. This gives me motivation.

— You worked with Serhiy Rebrov at Kyiv's Dynamo and are now on your second national team call-up. What does he bring that others don't?

— Generally, there's more tactics compared to other specialists. A lot of attention is paid to discipline on the field and positional play. Every day I learn something new. Each training session — it's like a challenge. If you don't work well — you might not play tomorrow.

— In the match against Armenia, you scored your first goal for the national team. Do you plan to score another one against England?

— I told Jordan that if I score — I'll be very happy.

— Or maybe it's better to play for a zero?

— I'd choose scoring against England and playing for a draw.

— We'll be hosting the match in Wrocław, where there are many Ukrainians. It would really be nice if supporters filled the stands. How important will this factor be overall?

— It's very important. When we played at «Wembley,» it was psychologically very difficult for us. But now we're playing on a home-like venue, so I hope that people will support us and we'll repay the fans with good play. Come to the match in Wrocław and cheer for us! Glory to Ukraine!

We remind you that the Euro-2024 qualifier between the national teams of Ukraine and England will take place on September 9 (kickoff at 19:00 Kyiv time).