Georgia vs Ukraine live coverage on GPB First Channel #1TVSPORT
The Georgian national team will host Ukraine at the Dinamo Arena in the second round of the UEFA Nations League, seeking redemption in front of their home fans after a disappointing 0–1 defeat to Northern Ireland in their opening match. GPB First Channel will bring you live coverage of the encounter starting at 19:50 Tbilisi time.
A New Era in the Dugout
The Crusaders head into this crucial clash under new management. The Willy Sagnol era has ended; following the home loss to Northern Ireland, the French tactician stepped down, and Ramaz Svanadze was appointed as head coach.
Svanadze inherits a formidable mission. Supporters expect him to build on the historic trajectory that began with Willy Sagnol’s arrival in February 2021. This journey culminated in 2024, when Georgia qualified for the European Championship finals for the first time, where Sagnol’s side successfully stormed into the last 16.
However, the team suffered a slump after the European Championship. Georgia endured two consecutive failed qualification campaigns, bowing out of the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League and the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. A 1–0 home defeat to Northern Ireland to kick off the new Nations League campaign proved the final straw, forcing the federation to part company with the manager who had delivered the greatest moment of sporting joy since independence.
Ramaz Svanadze will lead the Crusaders through the end of 2028. A former right-back who represented Dinamo Tbilisi and Georgia’s youth national teams, the new manager saw his playing career cut short prematurely by injury.
He began his coaching career at Dinamo Tbilisi before taking charge of the Georgia U21 national team, whom he guided to two European Championship finals.
Svanadze, 45, knows the squad’s current crop of players inside out. He has had a taste of the top job before, leading the senior team during a brief caretaker spell in 2020, which yielded a 0–0 draw with Estonia after Vladimír Weiss vacated the post. Combined with his role as a key member of Willy Sagnol’s coaching staff at Euro 2024, he was the standout candidate.
The new head coach has virtually no time to bed in, with the previous match throwing up further selection headaches. Defenders Luka Lochoshvili and Saba Goglichidze picked up late knocks, leaving them as major doubts for the Ukraine clash. Svanadze could also tweak his midfield, giving the nod to the more attack-minded Otar Kiteishvili ahead of defensive midfielder Anzor Mekvabishvili.
“After making his official debut as head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Andrea Maldera faces his next challenge. In Tbilisi, the Ukrainians will line up against a Georgian side, playing under new leadership. This introduces a key layer of intrigue to the fixture,” noted Ukrainian media outlets ahead of the match.
The sudden managerial change in the Georgian camp presents a conundrum for Ukraine’s tactical staff, who had long prepared to neutralise Willy Sagnol’s familiar tactical blueprint. How the new manager will adapt the side remains anyone’s guess.
Ukraine’s Squad Dilemma
In Andrea Maldera’s debut match, Ukraine secured a 1–0 victory over Hungary in Budapest. After taking the lead, the Ukrainians ceded the initiative, focusing primarily on repelling Hungarian attacks. However, sheer resilience alone will not suffice in Tbilisi; they will need to display aggression and combativeness.
Compounding the situation are severe squad availability issues. While Artem Dovbyk and Yehor Yarmolyuk are sidelined through injury, Ukraine are also without Oleksandr Andriyevskyi following surgery, while Oleksandr Nazarenko serves a suspension after his late red card against Hungary.
Up front, Maldera introduced a tactical shift that looks set to be repeated in Tbilisi, pairing Sikan and Vanat in a strike partnership supported by Sudakov. Having delivered the goods in the opener, this blueprint will remain central to Ukraine’s strategy, while Krasnopir is in line for a longer cameo from the bench.
Match Referee from Azerbaijan
Aliyar Aghayev of Azerbaijan will officiate the encounter. Aghayev was among the strictest referees in the Azerbaijani top flight last season, averaging 4.77 yellow cards per match, alongside issuing six red cards and awarding five penalties across 13 fixtures.
In international fixtures, Aghayev averages 3.43 bookings and 24.14 fouls per game, having awarded six penalties across 14 international matches.