Main coach of the Ukrainian national futsal team Oleksandr Kosenko spoke about his expectations for the upcoming match against the blue and yellows ahead of Euro-2026. 

The coach commented on the current composition of the team and characterized our opponents in the group, as well as outlined the tasks facing his charges at Euro-2026.

"Unfortunately, for this European Championship, we won't have Rostislav Semenchenko and Andriy Melnyk. It's very disappointing because they are our key players. We counted on them, but we will try to find a worthy replacement. We already have experience – without them, we recently played against the Portuguese and did quite well, especially in the first match. 

Meanwhile, Petro Shoturma, our captain, has finally returned to the squad. He is getting into shape with each game, considering he had a very serious injury. Some players after such injuries can't even recover their playing rhythm. But Petro is recovering quite well. He has plenty of experience and skill, and hopefully, he will peak at the European Championship. 

Despite our opponents – Armenia, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic – being ranked below us in the ratings, the coaching staff will do everything to avoid any underestimation. We have already talked with the players – they are professionals and have proven this many times.

The rating is one thing, but Kazakhstan was much higher than Armenia according to this indicator, yet it didn't help them qualify for Euro-2026. This is a very telling case for us. 

We have played against the Czechs and Lithuanians – it was very tough. But these were friendly matches, so they gave up on official games under pressure. Nevertheless, the Czechs and Lithuanians showed that they can play futsal well. The Lithuanians in particular – as hosts, I'm sure there will be a crazy support for them. We will prepare meticulously, tune ourselves, move from match to match. 

On January 17, we have a friendly match with Slovenia, and as you know, it will take place in a closed format without television broadcast. This is more of the hosts' requirement, but it's completely normal. I think all teams don't want to reveal their last preparations right before Euro. Everyone understands that any small detail can be crucial for victory.  

Our opponents are tough and uncompromising, and we will do everything so the boys are ready for real battles on the court. The Lithuanians, for example, after a 0:7 loss in our first friendly match, came back in the second one and wanted to prove it was just a fluke. They forced us into battle, and this was close to the tension we will see at Euro. This will be the same with all other opponents because every team is not going on an excursion. They are preparing, conducting sparring matches, thoroughly studying their opponents. 

As for the task facing the Ukrainian national futsal team at Euro-2026 – we will try to win in each match. We feel confident in our strength, and this is proven by the recent matches we have played. Of course, there are also worries; without them, there's no way forward. The European Championship takes place once every four years, and we understand that we must be ready at this moment. There will be very interesting and tense matches awaiting us. »