Ukraine national team head coach Andrea Maldera shared his expectations ahead of tomorrow’s away match against Georgia. The second round game of the UEFA Nations League will take place in Tbilisi, kicking off at 16:00 UTC.
“Has Georgia changed their coach? We’ll discuss that with our coaching staff this evening. You know, when a team changes its coach, it can influence the team in either direction. So today, we’ll study the Georgian squad more thoroughly. This team is always technically skilled, with very talented players, so I think the match will be interesting.
Of course, when a coach is replaced, the team reacts in some way. But we need to focus on our own game, to perform well ourselves, and not waste energy constantly worrying about what has happened with the opponent’s team.
Regarding Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, he is an incredible player. I don’t need to tell you that. He is a teammate of our own Ilya Zabarnyi at PSG. I believe he deserves to win the Ballon d’Or, not only for what he has done this year but also for his performances in previous seasons at Napoli. I think he deserves it, and I wish him all the best.
I expect the game to be as evenly matched as it was against Hungary. The result will depend on many factors. Georgia lost their last match, and perhaps they did not deserve to lose, especially as they conceded in the final seconds.
Regarding Zabarnyi and Khvicha, tomorrow they will be opponents. Of course, he and Kvaratskhelia are good friends. But tomorrow it’s Georgia versus Ukraine, and tomorrow we are rivals,” the coach told the Ukrainian Association of Football website.
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