“The Ukrainian national team will start qualifying for the 2027 World Cup on November 27”, — write: sport.ua
– What should we prepare for in the match against Georgia?
– “We played a lot against Georgia, we know their players and leaders. Always the first game at the start of qualification is very important. I want to start with a win. The Georgians will have key players in their lineup, including Shengelia and Shermadini, for whom this will be the last home game for the national team. So there will be many fans in Tbilisi – the atmosphere will be hot. We are getting ready for the game, we have two more training sessions, we continue to prepare for the match.
They play at the expense of their leaders: both Shermadini and Shengelia get the ball a lot and I think they will attack a lot. They also have young players who also want to show their level. The Georgians will try to play hard, they will do everything to prevent us from getting the ball.
– You played a lot against their leaders, what should you prepare for?
– Shengelia, like a train goes down the aisle, plays on the power, sticks on the shoulder, earns fouls and scores from under the basket. Shermadini plays well under the rim and despite his age remains a dangerous player in the paint, particularly strong in pick-and-rolls.
– How are you feeling, in what shape are you now?
– The mood is great – I met my teammates, I’m very happy to see them, it’s always nice to work. So the mood is fighting, even though we didn’t get enough sleep after the road. But in the morning training, they stretched well, left, and in the evening we will have the last full-fledged pre-game team training. We will focus on attack and defense and prepare for an important match.