After qualifying via the playoff route, Ukraine are preparing for their fourth consecutive European Championship campaign, having been handed a tough group alongside England, Italy, North Macedonia and Malta.
First qualifying as hosts in 2012 but winning just one game before finishing dead-bottom with zero points in the group stage in 2016, the Yellow and Blue made it all the way to the quarter-finals at Euro 2020, when they were eliminated by England.
They finished third in their qualifying group for Germany 2024 due to their head-to-head record with reigning European champions Italy, after both nations finished level on 14 points.
However, they made it to the playoffs thanks to their UEFA Nations League performance. Sergiy Rebrov’s side beat both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland 2-1 to punch their ticket to Germany.
Head coach Rebrov has named his 26-player Ukraine squad for the European Championship in Germany this summer, and GOAL takes a look.
GettyGOALKEEPERS
It will be a straight battle between Andriy Lunin and Anatoliy Trubin in goal, with the former possibly getting the nod thanks to his excellent form at Real Madrid in the absence of Thibaut Courtois.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
| Heorhiy Bushchan | Dynamo Kyiv |
| Anatoliy Trubin | Benfica |
| Andriy Lunin | Real Madrid |
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DEFENDERS
At full-back, Rebrov has plenty of options. Vitaliy Mykolenko is enjoying his most impressive spell of form as an Everton player and benefiting from more touches in Sean Dyche’s defensive strategies. Yukhym Konoplya has been in fine form for Shakhtar Donetsk in Premier Liga. Oleksandr Tymchyk and Oleksandr Karavaev will be forced to serve as quality back-up options.
Bournemouth’s Ilya Zabarnyi and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykola Matvienko are his favoured central defensive options. Valeriy Bondar and Maksym Taloverov didn’t enjoy much game-time during the March friendlies and will head to Germany as backups.
| Player Name | Club |
|---|---|
| Mykola Matviyenko | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Vitaliy Mykolenko | Everton |
| Illya Zabarnyi | Bournemouth |
| Oleksandr Tymchyk | Dynamo Kyiv |
| Yukhym Konoplya | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Bohdan Mykhaylichenko | Polissya Zhytomyr |
| Oleksandr Svatok | Dnipro |
| Valeriy Bondar | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Maksym Talovyerov | LASK |
MIDFIELDERS
Arsenal’s versatile full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko will be used in midfield to connect play between defence and attack with his exceptional passing abilities, while also dropping in for left-back Mykolenko should he decide to burst forward. Ruslan Malinovsky is the all-action box-to-box option alongside him, with the Genoa man boasting one of the best long-range shooting techniques in Europe.
Mykhailo Mudryk has blown hot and cold since arriving from Shakhtar Donetsk, showing his true world-class abilities in flashes. Nevertheless, his raw pace and direct nature make him a terror for full-backs to deal with.
Dynamo Kyiv and Ukraine captain Andriy Yarmolenko missed the squad for March friendlies, but he recovered from an Achilles injury and is back fit in time for the Euros.
Further forward, Georgiy Sudakov is another exciting Shakhtar product catching the eye across Europe and the 21-year-old will look to pull the attacking strings, with Girona’s Viktor Tsyhankov looking to put his pace to good use on right-wing.
| Player Name | Club |
|---|---|
| Oleksandr Zinchenko | Arsenal |
| Serhiy Sydorchuk | Westerlo |
| Ruslan Malinovskyi | Genoa |
| Viktor Tsyhankov | Girona |
| Oleksandr Zubkov | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Mykola Shaparenko | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Mykhailo Mudryk | Chelsea |
| Heorhiy Sudakov | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Andriy Yarmolenko | Dynamo Kyiv |
| Taras Stepanenko | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Volodymyr Brazhko | Dynamo Kyiv |
FORWARDS
After dominating Ukrainian football with SK Dnipro-1 for a few years, Artem Dovbyk made the big move to La Liga last summer, joining a Girona team that was still establishing itself in the Spanish top flight. In an unbelievable season, Girona emerged as the surprise leaders in Spain for lengthy stretches before levelling out to finish third, with Champions League qualification secured.
During Euro 2024 qualifying, the striker netted twice for Ukraine, including against Bosnia and Herzegovina during the playoffs, with his international tally now at eight goals from 25 senior caps. Valencia’s Roman Yaremchuk and Dynamo Kyiv’s Vladyslav Vanat are both able deputies.
| Player Name | Club |
|---|---|
| Roman Yaremchuk | Valencia |
| Artem Dovbyk | Girona |
| Vladyslav Vanat | Dynamo Kyiv |
STANDBY LIST
Rebrov has also announced a six-man standby list in case of any late injuries or withdrawals in the lead-up to the final tournament.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
| Danylo Sikan | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Denys Popov | Dynamo Kyiv |
| Dmytro Riznyk | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Vitaliy Buyalskyi | Dynamo Kyiv |
| Vladyslav Kabaiev | Dynamo Kyiv |
| Yehor Yarmoliuk | Brentford |
EXPECTED XI
Rebrov’s favoured formation has been 4-2-3-1, which has served him well by finding the perfect mix of defensive solidity and counter-attacking danger to send them to Germany this summer.
As stated above, Lunin will likely get the nod above Trubin in goal, behind a back-four comprising Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, and Mykolenko.
Zinchenko and Malinovskyi will look to hold the fort in the midfield double-pivot, with the latter also renowned for his goalscoring ability after arriving late in the opposition box.
Mudryk will feature as the left-sided wide player while Tsyhankov will likely retain his right-wing spot, with Sudakov serving up as the creative playmaker. Up front is Tsyhankov’s Girona teammate Dovbyk, who will carry a large goalscoring burden this summer.
Slovakia predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Lunin; Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Mykolenko; Zinchenko, Malinovskyi; Tsyhankov, Sudakov, Mudryk; Dovbyk
