Ukraine national team defender Vitaliy Mykolenko along with head coach Serhiy Rebrov participated in a press conference ahead of the playoff match against Belgium for the 2024/2025 League of Nations.

— Ahead — it's a decisive game, Ukraine has an advantage, but players probably feel the pressure. What can ensure success for the team tomorrow?

— Our head coach told us before the first match not to think about pressure and results, but just enjoy playing, both in attack and defense. It seems we did this very well. If we play with the same spirit and desire tomorrow, I don't think there will be any problems.

— In 2019, the national team went undefeated. Can this year's team repeat that achievement?

— We started the current year very positively, which is certainly encouraging. Of course, our task is to win every match. We have a great team. We will give maximum effort in each game. Let's see, maybe this year can also be without losses.

— Only two days of rest between games... How are you feeling? How does the team recovery go on such a schedule?

— We're in equal conditions with our opponents, they also traveled here. Recovery goes as usual. Yesterday, players who didn't play trained. Others had full rest, travel and recovery. Today — training, we'll prepare for the game.

Reminder: The return match will take place in Ghent, Belgium at Cegeka Arena on March 23 (kickoff at 8:45 PM Kyiv time).