Key events
3 min A ball over the top sees Dovbyk in behind Dragusin, but as it falls from the sky he can’t quite lower it on his foot and it runs away from him.
2 min I do like the shade of blue Ukraine are in; what are we calling it? Powder blue?
1 min Romania tear into this, pressing from the front, and Ukraine use that aggression against them, countering and finding Mudryk, who carves across the face of the box but can’t quite find a shooting lane or pass.
1 min And way we go!
James McFadden is not a name I’ve heard recently, but he’s on co-comms. I’d love to see how the appointment process works.
And the Romania players and fans rise to the challenge, thundering out their underrated banger.If they take this attitude into the game, we’re set for a proper afternoon.
The Ukraine players are wearing national flags draped over their shoulders; there’s a bit of intensity about how they’re singing their anthem.
Oh, and here come our teams!
So where is the game? Romania will, I imagine, sit deep and look to supply Denis Dragus with crosses and balls in behind while fighting for everything. Ukraine, on the other hand, will pass through midfield but also look to get their wide players one-on-one with the opposing full-backs, while Sudakov looks to slip balls down the sides and into the box with Dovbyk playing on Burca, not Dragusin, if he possibly can.
I analysed England’s win last night.
I’m looking forward to watching Thomas Frank – in the BBC studio this afternoon – as a pundit. I really enjoy his attitude and aggression, and he’s also someone i’d go out of my way to hear talking football.
Mykhailo Mudryk, then. It’s easy to forget it wasn’t just Todd Boehly legendary nose for a player that sniffed him out; Mikel Arteta was also keen, so we can probably conclude he can play. The question, then, is how to get him playing at his best, and a team likely to sit back and counter might just help with that. Whatever people think of him as a player, no one can question the ludicrousness of his pace, and I’d not be shocked if it were to prove effective during this competition.
Email! “Romania must be pretty handy if they can afford to leave Puscas and Hagi on the bench…” chuckles Julian Menz.
And don’t forget Olaru – he’s an absolute rock.
Domenico Tedesco, meanwhile, could easily be talking about me (save the “young” and “very talented” bits).
“Two former England players with me, Conor Coady and Micah Richards…” I shouldn’t snigger, but I did.
Great news dept:
I’m really looking forward to seeing how Georgiy Sudakov does. The 21-year-old number 10 established himself in the side during the qualifying campaign and, if we’re being honest, is probably playing for a move. And I’m also keen to see how Artem Dovbyk, winner of last season’s Pichichi, goes; he should have a lot of fun given the man behind him, but also given the pace of Mykhailo Mudryk and Viktor Tsygankov outside him.
Ukraine also make one change from the team given in our – Oleksandr Sazhko and Oleksandr Sereda’s – guide: Vitaliy Mykolenko is injured, so Oleks Zinchenko moves from midfield to left-back with Mykola Shaparenko taking his place in the centre.
Romania are pretty much as expected; the only alteration to the team given by Emanuel Rosu in our team guide is in the middle of defence, where it’s Andrei Burcă alongside Tottenham’s Radu Dragusin.
Right, I shall write those down, then we’ll have a think about what they mean.
Teams!
Romania (4-1-4-1): Nita; Ratiu, Dragusin, Burca, Bancu; Marin M; Man, Marin R, Stanciu, Coman; Dragus. Subs: Moldovan, Tarnovanu, Rus, Nedelcearu, Alibec, Cicaldau, Puscas, Hagi, Mihaila, Olaru, Mogos, Sorescu, Racovitan, Birliga, sut.
Ukraine (4-2-3-1): Lunin; Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Zinchenko; Stepanenko, Shaparenko; Tsygankov, Sudakov, Mudry; Dovbyk. Subs: Buschchan, Trubin, Svatok, Talovierov, Sydorchuk, Yarmolenko, Malinovskyi, Yaremchuk, Mykolenko, Brazhko, Zubkov, Bondar, Tymchyk, Vanat, Mykhailichenko.
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
Preamble
One of the joys of tournament football is that it gives us an excuse to spend all day every day talking football. Yes, and one of the punishments of tournament football is that it gives other people an excuse to spend all day every talking football too, but still.
Sometimes, though, we find ourselves in a situation – such as this one – in which talking football feels gauche … yet it is incumbent upon us do so with even greater alacrity than before. Because though Ukraine are defending themselves against Vladimir Putin’s expansionist war, and though their miraculous presence at this competition is part of that story, their team is a football team, their players are football players and their football team will contain football players playing football; as such, we owe it to them to focus on them – without ignoring the stuff that’s outside of their control.
And Ukraine are a decent outfit too. Goalie Andriy Lunin did well when called upon by Real Madrid in last seasons’ run-in; defender Illia Zabarnyi has excelled at Bournemouth; Oleks Zinchenko is extremely well-suited to the less physical nature of the international game; and Mykhalo Mudryk reeks of the domestic irrelevance, tournament excellence cycle we see at such time. Then if to that you add Everton’s Vitaliy Mykolenko and Valencia’s Roman Yaremchuk, plus Girona’s Artem Dovbyk and Viktor Tsyhankov, you have a side well-placed to benefit from a very friendly draw.
Which brings us to Romania, a nails but prosaic squad who reached Germany by besting perennial qualifiers Switzerland in Group I – a fine effort, but one expected to end there. Until – like Ukraine, and Slovakia – they saw their opponents and thought right, we’ll have some of that.
And so, given this is the first working-day football of the competition, will we – even if it means acquainting ourselves with the thoughts of others.
Kick-off: 3pm local, 2pm BST
