21 months after the start of the Russian war of aggression, the Ukrainian footballers want to bring their country a brief moment of joy. “We will do everything to make our soldiers happy,” announced defender Valerij Bondar with a lot of pathos before the qualifying game (8:45 p.m.). Team boss Serhij Rebrow said: “It’s a difficult moment, but we want to give our people positive emotions. My players are fully motivated when they step onto the field with our flag.”
Because football is no longer an option in Ukraine, the team around Premier League professionals Mychailo Mudryk and Olexandr Sintschenko prepared for the duel in wintry Gdansk, Poland. On Saturday we went to Leverkusen, where we played in front of full stands. It’s a highly emotional scenario on several levels. If the European champions fail, it would be the next catastrophic flop after missing the World Cup in Qatar – also for the new team boss Luciano Spalletti, who took office just a few weeks ago.
IMAGO/ZUMA Press/Claudio Giovannini For the new team boss Luciano Spalletti (r.), another qualifying exit from Italy would be a catastrophe
Spalletti warns of Ukrainian counterattacks
“I don’t even want to talk about being the favorite. Everything will be clear on the pitch. I think we will show a lot of motivation,” said Ukraine defender Olexandr Swatok. The Ukrainian professionals speak in unison of the “great pride” that drives them these days. If Ukraine comes third in the group, the play-off round would take place in March. The first game could then take place against Israel, which is also currently homeless in football terms due to the Gaza war.
Italy’s record against Ukraine is almost flawless. In nine duels, the 2021 European champion won seven wins and two draws. Team boss Spalletti warned his team about their opponents. “Ukraine has players who are in good shape. We have to act as a team and give everything we have,” demanded the 64-year-old, who also warned of Ukrainian counterattacks: “They could cause us problems with that. We have to apply pressure, but we must not lose our order and open up gaps,” said Spalletti about the tactical guidelines.
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UEFA Euro 2024 qualification
Direct duels also in groups E and H
Kazakhstan will play the direct Group H final against Slovenia in Ljubljana on Monday for participation in the European Championship. At the same time, the same constellation applies in Group E – Moldova competes in the Czech Republic (8.45 p.m. each time). The underdogs each need an away win in order to achieve what was unimaginable a few years ago and to actually be able to plan for Germany.
This is an ideal scenario for the European Football Association (UEFA). The field of participants, which has been increased to 24 teams since the 2016 European Championship finals, will be opened up and mixed up for teams that once had no chance – like North Macedonia in 2021. At the same time, top nations like Italy and Croatia are still having a lot of trouble qualifying.
Qualified teams
Group A: Spain, Scotland
Group B: France, Netherlands
Group C: England
Group D: Türkiye
Group E: Albania
Group F: AustriaBelgium
Group G: Hungary
Group H: Denmark
Group I: Romania, Switzerland
Group J: Portugal, Slovakia
Germany is already qualified as an organizer.