Will Roman Yaremchuk play for Ukraine against Hungary despite his knee problem, and when will the final call be made?
Roman Yaremchuk’s knee has been the biggest fitness question mark heading into Ukraine’s Nations League (League B) match against Hungary, played September 25 in Budapest with a 21:45 Kyiv kickoff.
Is Yaremchuk playing against Hungary?
No final decision had been made public before kickoff. According to head coach Andrea Maldèra, the Olympiacos striker was dealing with knee discomfort and remained a doubt for the match. Maldèra did not rule him out, but also didn’t confirm he’d start or even be included in the matchday squad.
When was the final call expected?
Maldèra said the decision on Yaremchuk would be made closer to kickoff, rather than announced in advance. That points to the call likely surfacing with the official starting lineup shortly before the 21:45 Kyiv kickoff, not as a separate earlier statement.
How does this compare to Ukraine’s other fitness concern?
Maldèra also flagged Dynamo forward Matvii Ponomarenko, who had a mild sore throat. Unlike Yaremchuk, Ponomarenko was expected to be ready to play — his situation was described as minor, not a doubt.
What’s confirmed, and what isn’t
- ✅ Confirmed: Yaremchuk had knee discomfort and was officially a doubt, per Maldèra.
- ✅ Confirmed: the final decision was expected close to kickoff, not earlier.
- ⚠️ Not confirmed: whether Yaremchuk ultimately started, appeared as a substitute, or was left out entirely — that wasn’t part of this pre-match update.
Since this was a pre-match fitness update, the actual outcome would only show up in Ukraine’s official starting lineup or post-match reporting — worth checking there directly if you’re looking for the final word.
Who replaced Artem Dovbyk and Oleksandr Andrievskyi in Ukraine’s squad for the Hungary match, and why?
Ukraine’s roster for the September 25 Nations League match against Hungary didn’t stay the same as the squad first announced on September 16.
Who dropped out, and why?
Two players named in the original squad withdrew due to injuries: Artem Dovbyk (Bologna) and Oleksandr Andrievskyi (Polissya Zhytomyr). No further detail on the specific injuries was given beyond that both were injury-related withdrawals.
Who came in as replacements?
Head coach Andrea Maldèra called up two players from the standby list:
| Player out | Club | Replaced by | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artem Dovbyk | Bologna | Oleksandr Pikhalionok | Dynamo |
| Oleksandr Andrievskyi | Polissya Zhytomyr | Ihor Krasnopir | Polissya |
Why these two specifically?
The source doesn’t explain the selection logic beyond noting Pikhalionok and Krasnopir were on Ukraine’s standby list — the pool of players kept on hand for exactly this kind of late change.
This squad update came before the separate pre-match fitness notes on Matvii Ponomarenko and Roman Yaremchuk, so it’s worth checking Ukraine’s official channels if you want to confirm the final matchday squad, since further changes aren’t part of what’s confirmed here.
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