Ukrainian national team head coach Sergiy Rebrov will have to do without Maksym Taloverov for the upcoming clashes against Belgium. The Plymouth center-back suffered a knee injury in training, forcing him to leave Ukraine’s camp and return to his club for treatment.

This leaves Rebrov with three recognized central defenders—Mykola Matviyenko, Illia Zabarnyi, and Valerii Bondar. It’s likely the coach will call up one of the reserve options, such as Denys Popov or Oleksandr Svatok, to bolster the squad. However, the Matviyenko–Zabarnyi pairing was almost certainly Rebrov’s first choice for the heart of the defense.

The two-legged showdown between Ukraine and Belgium for a place in Division A of the UEFA Nations League is set for March 20 in Murcia and March 23 in Genk.