W/Cup ticket : Ukraine seek shape up friendly abroad
Ukraine manager Oleksandr Petrakov is hopeful that his team can play a friendly in the Premier League to prepare his side for their World Cup play-off with Scotland.
The 64-year-old was also candid about the horrors of the war that engulfed his country and his decision to stand firm and not leave Kiev, despite the Russian bombing of the Ukrainian capital.
Petrakov’s squad was scheduled to play their World Cup qualifier against the Scots at Hampden Park on March 24, but it was postponed in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
The rescheduled match has now been scheduled for June, but a large number of Petrakov’s side are unable to play or train with competitive football banned in Ukraine, among those aged 18 to 60 who can fight through Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
With Ukraine still two wins away from the tournament in Qatar a decisive draw with Wales awaits them if they beat Scotland Petrakov is plotting a way to get his players back together and fully fit in the coming months.
They are unable to hold an internal training camp for fear that Russia would attack them, so he has asked the Ukrainian FA to contact UEFA about the possibility of his team gathering abroad, possibly in the UK.
Petrakov also wants to try and arrange a number of friendlies with ‘Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal’, with the money from the matches going back to Ukraine.
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He told The Guardian: “For example, we could play at Wembley against a London club.
“It can be a good practice match, a reaction for the Ukrainian army, but also preparatory work for the Scotland game.”
Petrakov thinks it will take his players five or six games to get back up to speed, adding: “We have to play because without the [practice] it would be very difficult to play with Scotland.”