Dovbyk will not join the Ukrainian national team for the start of the Nations League

Artem Dovbyk, a forward for Italy’s “Bologna,” has decided to remain with his club during the international break and will therefore not be available to help the Ukrainian national team at the start of the Nations League.

The forward did not travel to the Ukrainian national team’s training camp in order to recover under the supervision of Rossoblu’s medical staff. He will be working to regain his physical form following a muscle injury. Dovbyk recently returned to team training.

At the same time, the forward made the initial list of players called up by Andrea Maldere to the Ukrainian national team. However, the foreign-based player reportedly agreed with the “Blue-and-Yellows’” head coach to sit out the national team’s matches. The main goal is to prevent a recurrence of the injury.

Instead of Dovbyk, Maldera called up Igor Krasnopir, a forward for Zhytomyr’s “Polissya,” to the Ukrainian national team. The situation with the “Bologna” forward was the second such instance during the September international break. Yegor Yarmolyuk, a midfielder for England’s Brentford, did not travel to join the national team, even though he played for the “Bees” in club competitions.

Dovbyk has played three matches in Serie A this season, scoring one goal. The Ukrainian joined Bologna on loan this summer.

Ukraine’s National Team Roster for the Nations League Matches

Nineteen players from the Ukrainian Premier League and 11 foreign-based players received call-ups to the national team. Dynamo Kyiv has the largest contingent (six players), followed by Shakhtar Donetsk and Polissya Zhytomyr (five each). Kharkiv has sent two players.

List of players called up to the Ukrainian national team:

Goalkeepers: Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica), Dmytro Riznyk (Shakhtar), Heorhiy Yermakov (Kharkiv),

Defenders: Illia Zabarnyi (Paris Saint-Germain), Mykola Matviyenko, Valeriy Bondar (both – Shakhtar), Eduard Sarapiy, Bohdan Mykhailichenko (both – “Polissya”), Vitalii Mykolenko (Everton), Taras Mykhavko (Dynamo), Illia Krupskyi (Kharkiv), Oleksandr Drambaev (LNZ)

Midfielders: Oleg Ocheretko, Yegor Nazarina (both – Shakhtar), Volodymyr Brazhko, Mykola Shaparenko, Andriy Yarmolenko, Oleksandr Pikhalonok (all – Dynamo), Oleksandr Nazarenko, Vladyslav Veleten (both – Polissya), Ivan Varfolomeev (“Lincoln”), Georgy Sudakov (“Benfica”), Maksym Khlan (“Górnik”), Oleksandr Zubkov (AEK), Viktor Tsygankov (“Ajax”),

Forwards: Danylo Sikan (Anderlecht), Matviy Ponomarenko (“Dynamo”), Vladyslav Vanat (“Girona”), Roman Yaremchuk (“Olympiacos”), Ihor Krasnopir (“Polissya”).

Another ten players made it onto the reserve list. Among them are Oleksandr Romanchuk, a defender for Universitatea Craiova in Romania; Roman Vantukh, a defender for Karpaty Lviv; Dmytro Kryskiv and Oleksandr Karavaev of Shakhtar; Artem Bondarenko, a midfielder for Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia; Artem Shabanov, a defender for Kharkiv; and Gennadiy Synchuk, a winger for the Canadian club Montreal.

Goalkeeper Yermakov, defenders Krupsky and Drambaev, midfielder Varfolomeyev, and winger Khlan will have the chance to make their national team debuts. After a long hiatus, Sikan will return to the “blue-and-yellows” camp. He last wore the Ukrainian national team jersey in 2023.

Ukraine National Team Schedule

In September and October, the “blue-and-yellows” will play four matches in Group B2 of the Nations League. Maldera’s squad will begin with two away matches—against Hungary and Georgia. Next, in Trnava, Slovakia, the Ukrainian national team will host Northern Ireland and Hungary.

Ukraine’s 2026/27 Nations League Match Schedule:

September 25, Hungary vs. Ukraine

September 28, Georgia vs. Ukraine

October 2, Ukraine vs. Northern Ireland

October 5, Ukraine vs. Hungary

November 14, Northern Ireland vs. Ukraine

November 17, Ukraine vs. Georgia

This was reported with reference to Corriere dello Sport.

The Ghana Football Association has requested 500 tickets from CAF for the match in Buaké — MyJoyOnline.

Soccer player Gordon backed Tuchel’s comments on the England national team’s style — Sky Sports News.

Soccer player Ronaldo will play for Portugal in Coach Jesus’s debut match — The National.

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