In 2024, information emerged that the Brazilian midfielder of Shakhtar Pedrinho could become a player of the Ukrainian national team. Later, the actor himself indirectly confirmed this. And just yesterday this news took a new form. Moreover, there is a possibility that Pedrinho will be naturalized during the Blue-Yellow matches to be played in March.

Will this be a strength for Sergei Rebrov’s team? The former coach of the national team told the Meta.ua website exclusively: Miron Markevich.

“It is difficult for me to give a definitive answer to this question,” Markevich said. – However, it seems to me that Shakhtar has stronger players in the midfield line. Another question is whether the football player has expressed a desire to play for the Ukrainian national team and whether the head coach needs him.

Of course, in general, Pedrinho is a quality player. This season the midfielder plays effective football, is light and agile. A player with these qualities could have helped in the match against Sweden, which had a strong performance. But still, if Sergei Rebrov needs a Brazilian, it means he sees something in this football player. The mentor is responsible for the outcome and is the one who decides.

We have many players who can combine on the midline and there is serious competition. I hope Alexander Zinchenko starts playing, we also have strong players like Georgy Sudakov, Viktor Tsygankov, Alexander Zubkov, Alexey Gutsulyak, Ruslan Malinovsky. Therefore, considering all of the above, it is a question whether this will be a panacea for the national team.

Let us also remind you that the Ukraine national team will play the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament play-off semi-final match against Sweden on March 26. The winner of this match in the final will face the winner of the match between Poland and Albania on March 31 for the right to advance to the final part of the tournament.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino He found himself under a wave of criticism from pundits and fans after he joked about the behavior of England fans at the World Cup during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Speaking to world leaders, Infantino joked: “For the first time in history, no Britons have been arrested at the World Cup (Qatar 2022 tournament), this statistic is really special.”

However, such words were not accepted in England. Chief Constable Mark Roberts, who heads the football policing force, said such statements might be made in jest but were neither helpful nor accurate. Roberts emphasized that decent behavior by England fans at World Cups was the norm rather than something special, and cited data from recent world forums on the minimum number of arrests of Englishmen.

Infantino’s words, in addition to criticism from the police, also led to the Football Fans’ Association (FSA) calling on the FIFA president to focus not on “cheap jokes” but on the issue of high ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup, which has caused discontent among fans.

VIDEO. Infantino joked about England fans being arrested

FIFA President Gianni Infantino: (2022 FIFA World Cup)

For the first time in history no Englishman was arrested during a World Cup.

Imagine! This is something truly special. pic.twitter.com/1OBH9EeZOQ

— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 22, 2026

The Ukrainian national team will play the semi-final play-off match of the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament against Sweden on March 26. Famous football expert Oleg Fedorchuk He determined the real hope of the yellow-dark blue team in the upcoming match.

“The offensive line of the national team is also problematic now, not like on the right wing, but this situation has been going on for several seasons,” Fedorchuk said in an exclusive interview with the website Meta.ua. – Roman Yaremchuk plays very little for Olympiacos. Artem Dovbik is injured and is unlikely to be an assistant in the match against the Swedish national team.

Our biggest hope now is Vladislav Vanat. He is in good form as he plays regularly for Girona. However, he is quite dependent on his partners and it is still unknown how his rival will behave. This striker needs space.

Let us also remind you that the winner of Ukraine-Sweden, the semi-final match of the decisive match to be played on March 31 to reach the 2026 World Cup final, will face the best team in the Poland-Albania match.