Rebrov announced the lineup for the match against Albania
Serhiy Rebrov, head coach of the Ukrainian national team, has named a 23-man squad that will prepare for a friendly match against Albania.
Following a painful defeat in the 2026 World Cup qualifying playoffs, the coaching staff is making adjustments to the team’s roster.
Kyiv Dynamo goalkeeper Ruslan Neshcheret has made the official roster for this friendly.
For the young goalkeeper, this is a chance to make his debut for the national team, having beaten out the more experienced Anatoliy Trubin and Dmytro Riznyk for the spot.
Unfortunately, three players were left off the list. Defender Boris Krushynskyi will not be able to play his debut match due to an injury sustained during the international break.
Midfielder Oleg Ocheretko and forward Vladyslav Vanat also did not make the final roster.
The Ukrainian national team heads into this match as the race for a spot in the 2026 World Cup in North America comes to a close. Last week, Rebrov’s squad lost to Sweden 1-3 in the playoff semifinals.
“Last week, the Ukrainian national team suffered a defeat against Sweden (1-3). For the Scandinavians, Jökers of London’s Arsenal scored a hat trick,” the UAF report notes.
The only goal in that match was scored by forward Matviy Ponomarenko, who has once again been called up to the national team.
Full list of called-up players
The coaching staff is counting on a balance between experienced foreign-based players and domestic league representatives:
- Goalkeepers: Trubin, Riznyk, Neshcheret.
- Defenders: Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Svatok, Bondar, Sarapii, Mykolenko, Tymchyk, Mykhailichenko.
- Midfielders: Malinovskyi, Yarmolyuk, Kalyuzhnyi, Sudakov, Shaparenko, Pikhalyonok, Voloshin, Hutsulyak, Tsygankov, Zubkov.
- Forwards: Yaremchuk, Ponomarenko.
As a reminder, the Ukrainian national team will play a friendly match against Albania in Valencia, Spain.
Also, Lucescu was hospitalized in Bucharest due to health issues.
