Ukraine national team defender Illia Zabarnyi along with head coach Serhiy Rebrov participated in a press conference ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifier match against Azerbaijan in Krakow.

— Illia, how do you think can we avoid underestimating Azerbaijan?

— At this level of tournament, there cannot be any underestimation of the opponent. We see that all teams are good at defending and know how to play football. So no underestimation, I focus on my game and know what needs to be done. 

— Ruslan Malinovskiy returned after a serious injury and scored two goals. How did his experience help the team with many much younger players?

— Ruslan was really missed. We knew what he is capable of as a footballer, we knew his strong qualities. Our team needed him 100%. In Iceland, it was a tough match, but he scored two goals and helped the national team greatly. 

— How uncomfortable did the first game against Azerbaijan, which ended in the night, leave? And if we compare September's Ukraine squad with today's, what is the difference?

— Indeed, it was unpleasant to play against Azerbaijan at night, but that’s football. Sometimes such things happen, and you have to come out of this situation. What has changed? We still have the same team, not much time has passed. As then, we are preparing for a tough game. Preparing to win. 

Reminder, the 2026 World Cup qualifier match between Ukraine and Azerbaijan will take place on October 13 in Krakow (kick-off at 9:45 PM Kyiv time).