Tomáš Suslov: I wish Ukraine to advance to EURO 2023, but I am fighting for Slovakia
ŽILINA. On Sunday, the Slovakian under-21 football representatives completed an initial training session in preparation for a play-off double match for next year’s European Championship against Ukraine.
“We are facing a challenging opponent, on paper he is the favorite, but the performance on the field will decide,” said Jaroslav Kentoš, coach of the “twenty-one”, according to the official website of the Slovak Football Association (SFZ).
In the first place, he had 14 players available, Dominik Veselovský was absent due to health problems.
Kaprálik and Lavrinčík: We have to follow the instructions
Adrián Kaprálik from MŠK Žilina is one of the mainstays of the Slovak under-21 national team, as he confirmed with a goal in the league match against Liptovský Mikuláš on Saturday.
“I play stably, which helps me, and I can subsequently help the team on the way to our goal – qualifying for the Euro,” said the 20-year-old forward, who knows the recipe for the Ukrainians:
“He is a tough opponent. We experienced it first hand when we met him at the preparatory tournament in Turkey. The path to success is through following the coach’s instructions. We mustn’t worry.”
“We have to fulfill all the instructions from the coach. We will have the whole week to prepare well,” AS Trenčín midfielder Samuel Lavrinčík agreed with Kaprálik, who also does not expect an easy fight:
“The Ukrainians are a tough opponent. I also watched the match against Shakhtar, from which several players are nominated, in the Champions League. But we will see on the field what the double match will bring.”
Suslov understands the situation of Ukrainians
After two years, offensive midfielder Tomáš Suslov returned to the Slovak “twenty-one”.
“For me, it’s the worst possible draw. My father comes from Ukraine and I would have given them a promotion because of the difficult situation the country is in. However, I’m Slovak and I’ll do everything for us to be them and advance at ME.
The nature of Ukrainians is victorious. I am convinced that they will give 120 percent of themselves on the field. We will try to increase them in this and also add football quality. We have to really catch up and show the best possible performance. I hope that the end will be happy for us,” said the FC Groninegen player from the Dutch Eredivisie.
The Slovakian under-21 footballers will play against the Ukrainians first on Friday, September 23 in Žilina (6:00 p.m.), the rematch is scheduled for Tuesday, September 27 in the Polish city of Bielsko-Biala (5:30 p.m.). The more successful of the teams will play at the European Championship 2023.