On the first day of summer, the national team of Ukraine will play the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup playoffs against the Scottish team. Our team started preparations for this fight on the first day of May. Given the thoughtless aggression in our country, this time almost the entire educational process took place under the heading of “trial”.
Slovenia
Let’s start with the fact that the “blue-yellow” match against the Scots should be held in March. However, UEFA decided to postpone the match due to Russia’s invasion of our country. Later, the date of the match was chosen on the first day of June.
Given the war, it’s clear that there is no way to prepare for the butt game on Ukrainian soil. Therefore, preparations for the game against Scotland (and not only for this, because in case of the passage of “Scottish” Wales await us in the final, and from June eight to 14 will be Petrakov’s guards. To play three games of the League of Nations) Ukrainians started in Slovenia.
The choice of this country is not accidental. It was recommended to the UAF by Aleksander Čeferin, President of the European Football Union. In fact, this is his homeland. According to unofficial information, our team had two more options for training camps – Austria and Spain. But Čeferin’s proposal turned out to be almost uncontroversial.
At our team’s disposal is a new training base with everything you need in the small town of Brdo. And next to it is a cute hotel.
UAV
The Ukrainian delegation went to the station by bus. Otherwise it wouldn’t work now. The first to arrive in Brdo were our coaches and four players – Riznyk, Pikhalenok, Buleca and Gutsulyak. On the same day, on the night of May 1, all seven Shakhtar players, who played a series of charity matches in Europe as part of their club, came to the “away session” of the national team.
Two Shakhtar players Kornienko and Kryvtsov could not come to the national team’s camp due to injuries. But the injuries of Mudrik, who, together with Gutsulyak, made the first call to the main team of the country, turned out to be not serious.
“dynamo”
April 28 has been chosen as the start date for the national team’s training camp. On this day, all players of the national team representing Ukrainian clubs were supposed to come to Kiev. The Dynamo leadership took such an initiative of the UAF and Petrakov with hostility. At first, there was thunder and lightning with an official letter from the general director of the “white-blue” Chokhonelidze. Then the “heavy artillery” – the head of the Surkis club – took action. Arguing with FIFA regulations as well as his team’s participation in charity matches, Igor Mihajlovic refused to transfer his players within the agreed time frame. Let’s just say we’re going to release it on May 23.
UAF. George Bushchan
The situation had a wide repercussion. And he decided on a compromise: UAF President Pavelko said in a “constructive phone call” with Dynamo President Surkis that he had managed to smooth out all the sharp corners. After their charity meeting with Basel, Dynamo promised to launch all of their collections on May 4.
On May 5, eleven Dynamo players and Dnipro-1 striker Dovbyk, who was temporarily part of the Kyiv team, arrived at Oleksandr Petrakov’s place.
The next day, the team held its first full-fledged training session.
test matches
Even before the start of the training camp, it became known that the national team had a test match against Borussia (Mönchengladbach). This game will be held in Germany on May 11 and all its income will go to help our country. In addition to the duel with the German club, our team will play three or four more matches, according to the head of the UAF, Pavelko. Also, among the possible competitors are teams and clubs. It is not yet known who our opponent will be exactly. There are rumors that only the Blue-Yellows will be able to fight the San Marino national team.
When will the legionnaires arrive?
Our teams playing in foreign championships will start coming to the training camp in Brdo as of 16 May. Alexander Petrakov said about this: “On May 16, four will come – Zubkov, Kacharaba, Yaremchuk and Sikan. They play on the 15th. Ask them, “How long do you need to rest?” I asked. They said we don’t need rest. We’re going to the team.” The rest will come a little later.
Besides familiar and familiar faces, we may see another new player in the national team. According to some reports, Petrakov will invite Bordeaux midfielder Ignatenko, who previously defended the colors of Dnipro-1, to the training camp.
FC Bordeaux. Daniel Ignatenko
And one more information about the Ukrainian “Varangians”. The injury of one of the leaders of our team, Malinovsky, fortunately, was not serious. Ruslan completely recovered from the consequences.
Team game schedule
This can be a real mess. On 1 June, the Ukraine national team will play the play-off semi-finals away with Scotland. In case of success in Petrakov’s wards, again on the way, Wales is already waiting: the game will take place on June 5.
And indeed, without much break – three matches of the League of Nations: on June 8, away against the Irish national team, on the 11th – a home match against the Armenians, and on the 14th – an “answer” Irish.
All home matches in the League of Nations will be played in Poland by Ukrainians. Especially in Lodz.
