The key match in the qualification for Euro 2024 will take place in two days
National team defender Ukraine Alexander Zinchenko commented on the upcoming match with Italy in qualifying for the 2024 European Championship.
“The Italians are the current European champions. Everyone understands how strong this team is. I really hope for the support of the Ukrainians who will come to watch this match. I am sure that millions will watch from different parts of the world. Of course, from Ukraine too.”
“We all understand the responsibility of this game. I can say that we need to show our best game both individually and as a team to be successful against teams like Italy.”
“Italians love to play combination football with the ball. I pay a lot of attention to how they live football and the game. The match does not start with the referee’s whistle, but the game begins much earlier – from the locker room. The way they sing the anthem, the way they live the game, when each player just never stops telling his neighbor. It keeps you on your toes, focused and helps your partners. This is what I would emphasize about the Italian national team – they live the game every second. This is something we need to improve.”
“In the first game [с Италией] We deservedly lost. They could have lost by an even bigger score, but they completely beat us. I won’t say that there was any fatigue after the game with England. We analyzed that game, the mistakes we made, and I hope that we will avoid them in this game.”
Sergei Rebrov’s team will play against Italy on November 20 in Leverkusen (Germany) at the BayArena stadium, starting at 20:45 local time (21:45 Kyiv time).
The Ukraine-Italy match will be refereed by the Spanish team led by Jesus Gil Manzano. The anthem of Ukraine before the match with Italy will be performed by Sergei Ivanchuk, who miraculously survived enemy shelling in 2022
In the first head-to-head match of Group C, which took place in September, the Italians beat Ukraine (2:1). Davide Frattesi scored a brace for Squadra Azzurra, and Andrei Yarmolenko scored a goal for the blue-and-yellows.
In the standings, Italy and Ukraine share 2-3 places. Italy is ahead of our team due to additional indicators. To qualify for Euro 2024, only a victory will suit Ukraine.
Source: Sportarena
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