Rotten luck for Ukraine’s Rotan as injury rules him out

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Dhruv George

Nov 10, 2015 | 1:35 AM EST

Rotten luck for Ukraine’s Rotan as injury rules him out

Add us on Google

Dhruv George

Nov 10, 2015 | 1:35 AM EST

KIEV(Reuters) – Influential midfielder Ruslan Rotan will miss both legs of Ukraine’s Euro 2016 playoff against Slovenia with a hamstring problem.

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Ukraine’s vice-captain sustained the injury in Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk’s 3-0 defeat at Europa League Group G rivals St Etienne on Thursday.

Coach Mykhailo Fomenko has to fill two gaps in midfield for Saturday’s first leg in Lviv because Shakhtar Donetsk’s Taras Stepanenko is sidelined through suspension.

Full back Oleksandr Kucher is also banned for Saturday’s game but goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov is hoping he can shrug off an ankle injury in time to play.

“There’s not much to be cheerful about,” coach Mykhaylo Fomenko told reporters on Monday.

Ukraine have yet to beat Slovenia in four previous meetings, drawing twice and losing twice.

They also lost out to Slovenia in the Euro 2000 playoffs.

The second leg takes place on Nov. 17. The winners go through to next year’s finals in France.

(Writing by Igor Nitsak; Editing by Tony Jimenez)

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Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is EssentiallySports’ foremost authority on motorsport and a founding member of the outlet’s NASCAR desk. A Journalism graduate fluent in English and French, he brings over eight years of motorsports journalism experience covering everything from high-octane NASCAR battles to the finesse of Formula 1 and MotoGP. His extensive paddock access has earned him exclusive interviews with top names such as F1’s Pierre Gasly and Moto2’s Tony Arbolino, cementing his reputation as a trusted voice among racing fans. Known for his candid opinions, Dhruv isn’t afraid to tackle contentious officiating calls, most recently defending Joey Logano after the DYL penalty in Phoenix. Before focusing on NASCAR as a Senior Writer, Dhruv contributed extensively to EssentiallySports’ coverage of F1 and NASCAR, building a versatile and impactful sports portfolio.

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