In July, the Ukrainian national team will play three matches of the 2023 World Cup qualification
Main coach Ukrainian national basketball team Ainars Bagatskis spoke about the preparation of the blue-and-yellows for the upcoming 2023 World Cup qualification matches. According to him, two players from the NBA – Svyatoslav Mikhailyuk and Alexey Len – will not help the team in July.
“Given the situation in Ukraine, we are looking for an opportunity to start the first stage of preparation for the qualifying matches earlier. We will be the first in Riga to see those players who, let’s say, have not yet appeared in the Ukrainian national team, for example, the same Alexander Kovlyar. Initially, we had a plan to hold the opening pre-season tournament in Taiwan, but, unfortunately, it will not be due to increased quarantine requirements in this country (quarantine 10 + 7 days). Therefore, we will hold a pull-in camp in Riga,” said Bagatskis.
“Obviously, the players who are still finishing their seasons will join later – these are Sanon, Pustovoy, Lipovy, Lukashov, Petrov. Let’s start without them. For those who finished the season, they will be at the first training camp. Based on its results, we will decide on the line-up that will go to the second training camp in Italy. The Italian collection will be about a week, we are now determining the dates. After that, the final squad of 13-14 players will be formed, who will prepare and play in three qualifying matches, which we will play in early July. From Italy, we have to move to Portugal, where we are waiting for sparring with the local team. We will complete the preparation directly in Riga.”
“I look forward to meeting you and I want to see how the guys have changed in these three months. They were very difficult for everyone. I’m sure it should affect the game as well. I really hope that what the Ukrainians went through will become the foundation of sports aggression on the playground. At the same time, when you play abroad, you are under additional pressure, you have to prove and demonstrate all your best qualities as a legionnaire and leader. I really hope that this pressure and the energy that our players spend to overcome this pressure will only benefit them in their professional growth. In the status of a legionnaire, only Pustovoy came to the previous window, today it will be almost the entire composition of the national team.
“Just Gerun won’t help us, Vova has an untreated knee injury and needs to undergo treatment, he is always with the team and ready to play for the national team, but he needs a break.”
“We are constantly in contact with Lan and Mikhailyuk and the guys are ready to play for the national team, for them it is, as well as for every player for the honor. But there are NBA rules, if we use them for the national team now, we can lose them later. It would also be very useful for the guys themselves now, they did not finish the season, they can play more and better in the NBA and matches for the national team could help them in some way. We remember that with Len and Mikhailyuk, Ukraine already beat Spain in 2017, but I think in this window we should solve our problems without them, and already in August we will meet them in the national team for the next qualifying window and the European Championship.”
On July 1, Ukraine will play with Georgia, and on the 7th – with Spain. Both matches will be held at the Arena-Riga in the capital of Latvia. On the 4th, Bagatskis’ team will play away with North Macedonia.
In qualifying for the World Cup, Ukraine played three matches, defeating North Macedonia and losing away to Georgians and Spaniards. In their group, the blue-yellows take third place.
The top three teams from each group will advance to the next round of selection.
Source: Sportarena
