Defending champion Italy against Ukraine under pressure

21 months after the start of the Russian war of aggression, the Ukrainian footballers want to bring their country a brief moment of joy. “We will do everything to make our soldiers happy,” announced defender Valerij Bondar with a lot of pathos before the qualifying game (20.45:XNUMX p.m.). Because football is no longer an option in Ukraine, the team around Premier League professionals Mykhailo Mudryk and Oleksandr Sintschenko prepared for the duel in wintry Gdansk, Poland. On Saturday we went to Germany, where we played in front of full stands in Leverkusen. It's a highly emotional scenario on several levels. If the European champions fail, it would be the next catastrophic flop after missing the World Cup in Qatar - also for the new coach Luciano Spalletti, who took office just a few weeks ago. “I don’t even want to talk about being the favorite. Everything will be clear on the pitch. I think we will show a lot of motivation,” said Ukraine defender Oleksandr Swatok. The Ukrainian professionals speak in unison of the “great pride” that drives them these days. If Ukraine comes third in the group, the play-off round would take place in March. The first game could then take place against Israel, which is also currently homeless in football terms due to the Gaza war. A draw is enough for the “Azzurri” to keep second place in Group C behind the confident English, Ukraine has to win. But the former football dwarfs Kazakhstan and the Republic of Moldova are suddenly within reach of participating in the European Championship for the first time. Kazakhstan will play the direct Group H final against Slovenia in Ljubljana on Monday for participation in the European Championship. At the same time, the same constellation applies in Group E – Moldova is competing in the Czech Republic. The underdogs each need an away win in order to achieve what was unimaginable a few years ago and to actually be able to plan for Germany. This is an ideal scenario for UEFA. The field will be opened up and mixed up for teams that once had no chance – like North Macedonia in 2021. At the same time, top nations like Italy and Croatia are still having a lot of trouble qualifying. Monday's games (20.45:XNUMX p.m.): Ukraine – Italy North Macedonia – England Czech Republic – Moldova Albania – Faroe Islands Northern Ireland – Denmark Slovenia – Kazakhstan San Marino – Finland The table in Group C: 1. England 19 points 2. Italy 13 3. Ukraine 13 4. North Macedonia 7 5. Malta 0

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Defending champion Italy against Ukraine under pressure

Three big decisions will be made in the European Championship qualification on Monday. The main focus is on Ukraine's home game against defending champions Italy in Leverkusen.

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