Today, September 4th, ahead of the World Cup 2026 qualifier match against France in Wroclaw, head coach of the Ukraine national team Serhiy Rebrov held a press conference.

— Mr. Serhiy, right off the bat, a personnel question. Roman Yaremchuk was absent. Why did you decide not to call up anyone in his place?

— You are mistaken, we called up Voloshin. Unfortunately, Roman suffered an injury while playing for his club and was very upset. We received confirming images — the injury will prevent him from participating in upcoming matches, so he remained with his club.

— Are all players ready for tomorrow's game?

— Unfortunately, not everyone is. But this isn't the first time we've had many injuries. It happens. However, all players who are in the squad are seriously prepared, and I am confident that tomorrow we will give a good fight.

— A question about Andriy Yarmolenko. Over the summer you said that if it weren't for friendly matches, he would definitely be in the squad. What has changed over these months, why didn't you call him up this time?

— Because there is strong competition on that position. We called up these players now, but Andriy — he's a potential player for the squad.

— What does it mean to you to coach the national team when your country is at war?

— Unfortunately, we have been in this state for over three years... For me, it's a great honor — representing our country. I and all players always thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine, our defenders. Everything we do is for them. It's really very difficult. Difficult not because of travel and logistics. Difficult to understand what is happening in our country. Many have friends and family at home. Very difficult psychologically. But at the same time, it adds motivation to players. And when they step onto the field with the flag of Ukraine, they truly feel for whom they are playing.

— Searches were conducted in the assistant coach of the youth national team Kiril Mazur. Your assistant's name, Hlib Plotov, also appeared in the media. Can you explain if Plotov is accused of something? Does this affect the team preparation?

— It doesn't affect anything at all. This has nothing to do with team preparation. Right now we are gathered for a game that's very important for us. The youth squad also faces an equally responsible match.

— You play in many stadiums. Do you feel the support will be greatest in Wroclaw?

— We are already playing here for the third time. We played against England and Iceland, and now we'll play against France. We always feel the support at all stadiums wherever we play. But in Wroclaw there is indeed a great stadium. We are very grateful to Poland for constantly helping us with match organization. This is very important to us. We feel the support of Poles when we turn to them.

We have played in many countries — Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland. Truly grateful to people who help us during this very difficult period for Ukraine.

— The start of the qualification can be compared to a clean slate. The Ukrainian national team is not the favorite in the group, but do you have faith that we can win this group?

— In my opinion, it's always necessary not to think about what will happen in the future, but to prepare for each encounter. Tomorrow we have France. We need to seriously prepare. Then Azerbaijan will follow. Need to take things step by step, showing maximum commitment in every game. We play against top national teams and top players. This is very difficult, but I believe in my boys. See their motivation, their desire. Confident that we will do everything possible.

— At the start of the season not all Ukrainian league players have game practice with their clubs. What's more important — to play consistently even if it's not at the highest level, or train alongside star performers in top European teams?

— I generally don't differentiate between footballers who play in Europe and those who play in Ukraine. Game practice is always important, and now representatives of Ukrainian clubs have a lot of it. Too much. We couldn't even conduct two training sessions because the boys were very tired, mostly recovery. So I'm pleased that almost all our players have game practice, but when there's too much of it, it leads to fatigue.

— How will you solve the problem on the left flank of defense which arose after Mykolenko's injury? Do you expect tactical surprises from the French national team?

— The French national team is a big surprise overall. Whichever player you don't take — it's a surprise. We are seriously preparing.

As for Mykolenko, he didn't train with us at all — unfortunately, he got injured in his club. We called up Dubynchak, Vladyslav has already joined us. We will decide tomorrow who will cover this position.

Reminder, the World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Ukraine and France will take place in Wroclaw on September 5th (kick-off at 9:45 PM Kyiv time).