Vladimir Samborsky, the coach of Ukraine's U-18 national team (players born in 2008 or later), spoke about the purpose of the training camp in Poreč, Croatia.

The U-18 national team of Ukraine has started a training camp during which the team will play three matches as part of an international tournament. The team is led by Oleksandr Sitnik, but he is currently involved in Euro 2026 (U-17) first qualifying round matches, so Vladimir Samborsky is temporarily taking his place and answered questions from the official website of the Ukrainian Football Association.

— Mr. Vladimir, what is the purpose of the camp in Croatia?

— We don't change our goals much. This is another test for the players to fight for a place on the team. We will look at newcomers as well as those who are not new to this team. It's also about gaining international experience. We'll play against strong opponents and see how we stack up against them. We want to represent Ukraine honorably in such prestigious competitions. 

— Are you satisfied that a large number of players from foreign clubs have joined the team?

— Yes, definitely. Although this is Oleksandr Sitnik's team, I can say that about 80% of the squad has already been formed. The core is there, now we will try to select as high-quality players as possible from those we are reviewing.

— Some opponents in this camp are familiar with Ukraine's national team...

— Yes. We've already met Croatia three times recently, so we know their capabilities. Last time we got to know Sweden as well. So there is some information about them. The only mystery for us is Wales' squad. But that's not the main thing, we want to play our game and stick to it. Of course, there are moments when we will pay attention to opponents' gameplay, but we don't plan on adjusting to anyone.

Ukraine U-18 National Team Roster

Goalkeepers: Rostyslav Baglai («Shakhtar» Donetsk), Yegor Klimenko («Ruh» Lviv), Yegor Krapyvin («Espanyol», Spain).

Defenders: Egor Kostyuk, Nikita Kaluzhnyi, Yaroslav Milokost (all — «Shakhtar» Donetsk), Volodymyr Yasinskyi («Ruh» Lviv), Yegor Shershuk («Metalist» Kharkiv), Artur Muradyan («Borussia» M, Germany), Mykita Melnyk («Napoli», Italy), Timofei Bugay («Ferencvaros», Hungary).

Midfielders: Artur Zubryi, Oleksandr Sereda, Artur Derikon (all — «Shakhtar» Donetsk), Pavlo Lysin, Arseniy Fedorenko (both — «Dynamo» Kyiv), Muhammed Dzhurabaev («Ruh» Lviv), Illia Kutya («Hajduk», Croatia), Anton Martyniuk (PSV, Netherlands).

Forwards: Ivan Andreyko («Dynamo» Kyiv), Dmytro Zudin («Hajduk», Croatia), Illia Menshikov («Austria», Austria).

Ukraine U-18 National Team Schedule in Croatia

08.10.2025. Ukraine — Croatia (13:30)

11.10.2025. Ukraine — Wales (16:00)

14.10.2025. Ukraine — Sweden (16:45)

Match times are in Kyiv time.