In order to advance to the elite of the League of Nations, the Ukrainian national football team will need to beat the Belgian team in a two-match confrontation in March 2025.
The teams met each other not so long ago — as part of the group stage of Euro 2024. Now the draw has once again brought together the blue-yellows and the red devils.
After the draw for the Nations League playoffs, the head coach of the Belgian national team Domenico Tedesco commented on their results and the fact that the Belgians were drawn to play against the Ukrainian national team.
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Tedesco on Ukraine in the Nations League playoffs
— We know the players (of the Ukrainian national team, — Ed.), we know how to play against them. Moreover, I also know my strongest line-up now — I am a much wiser coach than before the Nations League. Now we are in the process of preparation so that in March we can take to the field with our strongest line-up to stay in Division A of the Nations League and gain confidence for the World Cup qualification, — said Tedesco.
The specialist also expressed his conviction that he will continue to work with the Belgian national team, despite the unsatisfactory results. He called the Nations League — a tournament for experiments. In addition, he noted that the Belgians managed to show in some matches that they are ready to compete with top teams.
— Of course, the results are bad, and I understand the emotions. But this is an integral part of national teams. That is why I love this job so much, — he said, commenting on rumors of a possible resignation.
The national teams of Ukraine and Belgium have only met once in history. This happened in the third round of the group stage of Euro 2024. Having drawn with the charges of Serhiy Rebrov, the Red Devils secured a place in the 1/8 finals.
It should be noted that then all the teams in Group E scored four points. This happened for the first time in the history of the European Championships at the group stage. However, according to additional indicators, it was the Ukrainians who finished in last place.
The Belgians failed to reach the quarterfinals of Euro 2024, losing to France with a score of 0:1.
After an unsuccessful performance at the European Championship, Domenico Tedesco's charges performed poorly in the UEFA Nations League. In the same group with France, Italy and Israel, they scored only four points out of a possible 18. Israel scored the same amount, but according to additional indicators, it finished fourth.
