Vladimir Samborsky, the coach of Ukraine's U-18 national team (players born in 2008 or later), spoke about the purpose of the training camp in Croatia.

The U-18 national team of Ukraine has started a training camp during which the team will play three matches as part of an international tournament. The team is led by Oleksandr Sitnik, but he is currently involved in Euro 2026 (U-17) first qualifying round matches, so Vladimir Samborsky is temporarily taking over and answering questions from the official website of the UAF.

— Mr. Vladimir, what is the purpose of the camp in Croatia?

— We are not changing our goals much. This is another test for the players to fight for a place on the team. We will be looking at newcomers as well as those who have already been with us before. It's also about gaining international experience. We'll play against strong opponents and see how we measure up against them. We want to represent Ukraine honorably in such prestigious competitions.

— Are you satisfied that a large number of players from abroad have joined the team?

— Yes, definitely. Although this is Oleksandr Sitnik's team, I can say that about 80% of the squad has already been formed. The core is there, now we will try to select as many quality players as possible from those we are reviewing.

— Some opponents in this camp are familiar with Ukraine's national team...

— Yes. We have already met Croatia three times recently, so we know their capabilities. Last time we got to know Sweden as well. So there is some information about them. The only mystery for us might be the Wales squad. But that's not the main thing, we want to play our game and stick to it. Of course, there are moments when we will pay attention to opponents' gameplay, but we do not intend to adjust ourselves to anyone.

Ukraine U-18 National Team Roster

Goalkeepers: Rostyslav Baglai («Shakhtar» Donetsk), Yegor Klimenko («Ruh» Lviv), Yegor Krapyvin («Espanyol», Spain).

Defenders: Egor Kostyuk, Nikita Kaluzhnyi, Yaroslav Milokost (all — «Shakhtar» Donetsk), Volodymyr Yasinskyi («Ruh» Lviv), Yegor Sherstyuk («Metalist» Kharkiv), Artur Muradyan («Borussia» M, Germany), Mykita Melnyk («Napoli», Italy), Timofei Bugay («Ferencvaros», Hungary).

Midfielders: Artur Zubriy, Oleksandr Sereda, Artur Derikon (all — «Shakhtar» Donetsk), Pavlo Lysin, Arseniy Fedorenko (both — «Dynamo» Kyiv), Mukhammed Dzhurabaev («Ruh» Lviv), Illia Kut'ya («Hajduk», Croatia), Anton Martyniuk (PSV, Netherlands).

Forwards: Ivan Andreyko («Dynamo» Kyiv), Dmytro Zudin («Hajduk», Croatia), Illia Men'shikov («Austria», Austria).

Schedule of Ukraine U-18 National Team Matches in Croatia

08.10.2025. Ukraine — Croatia (13:30)

11.10.2025. Ukraine — Wales (16:00)

14.10.2025. Ukraine — Sweden (16:45)

Match times are in Kyiv time.