The 30-year-old striker is about to play what could be the most important match of his career, having often lost his starting spot as the Blue & Yellow's main striker.
"There are no new injuries. We checked with the doctors this morning and no one reported any issues."
With these words, Serhiy Rebrov tried to dispel any lingering doubts about Roman Yaremchuk being available to face Sweden, where he is expected to start as Ukraine’s number nine in the absence of Artem Dovbyk, who is sidelined with a serious thigh injury.
The problem: the player on loan at Olympique Lyonnais missed the clash with AS Monaco last weekend due to injury.
"He was hit in the Achilles tendon before the match. We waited until the last moment to see if there was any improvement, but he couldn’t play," explained Lyon boss Paulo Fonseca at a press conference.
A Ukrainian attack searching for a saviour
Yet another blow for the Zbirna, who are already without Dovbyk, as well as their captain Oleksandr Zinchenko and Mykhaylo Mudryk, who remains suspended for doping. "We played our qualifiers without our best team, just like Sweden," Rebrov pointed out before the match, highlighting the ongoing injury problems affecting Ukraine.
So seeing Yaremchuk train as if nothing was wrong on the eve of such a crucial match for the country was the main focus during the 15 minutes open to the media. Even though he arrived late, his eventual appearance alongside Oleksandr Zubkov eased the concerns of the many Ukrainian journalists present.
According to Andrew Todos, a Ukrainian journalist who covers the Zbirna daily, the 1.91m striker is set to lead the attack, ahead of Vladyslav Vanat, who started as Ukraine’s number nine against Iceland last November.
"His profile is better suited to what Sweden will throw at us," Todos analysed. Is this quick return to the pitch linked to Fonseca’s special connection to Ukraine, the homeland of his wife and where his children grew up? The journalist is convinced that the Lyon coach rested his striker specifically with this crucial international break in mind.
Earlier in the day, Yaremchuk told the Ukrainian federation: "Fonseca has a special relationship with Ukraine. I know he invited young Ukrainians to the training centre. He wished me good luck and hopes we qualify for the World Cup."
A status to live up to
The striker, on loan from Olympiacos, carries a huge responsibility; at 30, he must lead Ukraine to a second-ever World Cup qualification, 20 years after their first in 2006. All this while he’s been struggling in Ligue 1, having scored just one goal since arriving in France at the end of the transfer window, in the Coupe de France against Lens.
Yaremchuk hasn’t been much more prolific for Ukraine either - hampered by a calf injury, he didn't score for the national team in 2025 and has gradually slipped down the pecking order, even starting on the bench for Ukraine’s final group game against Iceland last November.
In fact, you have to go back to November 19, 2024, to find his last goal for the Blue & Yellow, in a UEFA Nations League match against Albania.
Having become a stopgap solution due to Dovbyk’s injuries, Yaremchuk faces a huge challenge against Sweden this Thursday. And the pressure isn’t just sporting - Rebrov has repeatedly stressed how important this match is for all of Ukraine, to give the country something to celebrate amid a war that has lasted four years.
Born in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine that was heavily bombed by the Russian army on Tuesday despite usually being spared, Yaremchuk will surely have that extra motivation.