Serhiy Kovalevets named the team that will be a sensation in the Ukrainian Cup
Last weekend, the matches of the 1/32 finals of the Ukrainian Cup took place. Former midfielder of the Ukrainian national team, authoritative coach Serhiy Kovalets, exclusively told the website Sport.ua about the twists and possible sensations in the upcoming stages of the competition.
– Serhiy Ivanovych, compared to the previous tournament, there were few sensational results in the 1/32 stage. What is the reason for this?
– First of all, I would like to congratulate all Ukrainians on Independence Day, the whole country that is fighting against the enemy who invaded our home. As for the Ukrainian Cup, I like its format, where blind draw is conducted from the early stage. We will see more sensations. If there were few now, we hope that there will be more in the 1/16, which, undoubtedly, fans will enjoy. At this stage of the competition, favorites managed to show their level.
– The most unexpected result happened in Vilkhivtsi, where the outsider of the Second League defeated "Chornomorets"?
– Certainly, this can even be called a sensation, as a representative of the UPL was eliminated from the tournament. It is worth noting that "Vilkhivtsi" are developing, they have their own stadium, well-developed infrastructure. And they have players with solid experience at the highest level. But the Odessa team did not start very well. Perhaps the team is not in the best psychological state after the enemy shelling of the "Chornomorets" stadium and their training base.
– The central match was in Lviv between "Karpaty" and "Obolonnya", where Lviv residents celebrated victory - 2:0. Fran Fernandez's team is surprising at the beginning of the season?
– Yes. The Spanish specialist is on the right track so far. The club is developing, and loyal fans are helping him with that. In Lviv, a championship-winning team can be created.
– By the way, do you support the idea that participants in European competitions should skip this stage of the competition?
– There was a weekly cycle now, so our leaders, who have two squads, in my opinion, could participate in the 1/32 stage. The viewers' interest would be much higher.
– In the previous tournament, "Chernihiv" was the opening of the tournament. Who can surprise everyone now?
– Indeed, no one counted on "Chernihiv," and they reached the final. It is difficult to make such a prediction, but I would venture to suggest that "Oleksandriya" could be such a team, which has a good squad and, most importantly, an experienced coach Volodymyr Sharan. It is important here that the draw is somewhat favorable (smiles).
