Ukraine

Group D always looked like it would be a tight affair and, true to form, England kicked off their campaign with a 1-1 draw against France. Of the four teams, Ukraine seemed the weakest on paper but it is the east Europeans who hold all the aces going into the second round of matches.

Coach Oleg Blokhin had all but written off his side’s chances before a ball had even been kicked as he felt they had problems in defence and even more up front, but veteran striker Andriy Shevchenko rolled back the years to net a brace and give them a real chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals (Ukraine 8/13 To Qualify).

The 35-year-old former AC Milan hit-man was injured in the build-up to the tournament and it was thought that he might miss out, but the manager’s decision to hand him a starting berth paid dividends with two well-taken headers. He will lead the line again on Friday against Les Bleus and the whole nation will look to him to provide the goals that could prove crucial.

Despite the euphoria of the victory over Sweden, Blokhin has urged his men to keep their feet on the ground and make sure that Monday’s result does not go to waste. Neither Ukraine nor Sweden look like tournament winners but just getting out of the group will be considered a success for the hosts, who are in a transition phase and should be a force to be reckoned with at the next World Cup.

Andriy Voronin looks set to keep his place alongside Shevchenko and highly-rated youngster Andriy Yarmolenko, who provided the cross for the first goal, will need to find a way past the French to feed the front two. Ukraine will find the France side a tougher proposition that the Swedes, especially after Les Bleus’ opening draw with England.

Roy Hodgson’s men sat back and absorbed the French pressure and had the defensive skills to get away with it. It is open to debate whether Ukraine could last out using the same tactics and this should be a more open game with plenty of chnaces.

England managed to keep Real Madrid’s superb striker Karim Benzema in check for most of the match and it was down to a man who does not score too many goals, Samir Nasri, to gain his side a point. But Benzema is surely too good not to score at some stage of the tournament and the French fans will be hoping it is on Friday.

France played well at times against England but, in truth, it was a dull game with both sides lacking imagination in the searing heat. Therefore it is difficult to read too much into the French display as they were tipped by many to go far in this summer’s showpiece event.

Going forward, Laurent Blanc’s men will always be dangerous with players of the calibre of Frank Ribery, Yohan Cabaye and Nasri. But there are question marks over their defence and the Ukraine coaches will urge the midfield to try and get at the opposition early and force them into mistakes.

Defeat for France would not see them eliminated from the competition but would make it extremely difficult for them to qualify and, on paper, they should be strong enough to win this one. They are now unbeaten in 22 matches but it is three points and not just one they crave from the second group encounter.

Blanc and his men were criticised in their home press for not beating England but the coach has hit back at the critics and said that it was the England tactics that thwarted their attacking ambition. He was clearly not happy with the negativity surrounding their display and will want his charges to prove a point or two next time out.

Ukraine have already pulled off one shock and, with the whole nation behind them, they will be eyeing another three points on Friday but it may be that the Sweden victory was their ‘final’ and this may be a reality check for Blokhin and the home fans.

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Far from riding on a wave of optimism heading into their first European Championships, Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin has all but written off his side’s chances before a ball has even been kicked.

He was brought back to the post for a second stint in March 2011 after leading his men to the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup during his first spell in charge but he has not really been able to inspire his charges second time around. Consequently, getting out of the group stage of the competition would be seen as a massive achievement (Ukraine 5/4 To Qualify).

The trouble for Blokhin is that he has inherited a team in transition, with several talented youngsters coming through who are not quite ready while veterans such as Andriy Shevchenko and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk are clearly past their best.

They have also had to prepare without any recent competitive football having qualified as hosts and the coach has used 40 players in his 15 months back in charge to try to find a winning combination.

He does not appear to have done that and, worryingly, slated both his defence and attack in an interview on Saturday.

The former Dynamo Kiev striker confessed that he has struggled to select an in-form striker, while making it clear that he has problems both in central defence and at full-back.

This does not leave much of the pitch to enthuse about and the scattergun approach to selection and tactics has left a number of players unsure of their role in the side (Ukraine – Exactly 0 points in group stage 10/1).

They tend to play a standard 4-4-2 which sometimes changes into a 4-5-1 during games and it would appear likely that, despite home advantage, goals will be at a premium against the Swedes and in their subsequent two group games.

One player to watch is 22-year-old Dynamo Kiev wide man Andriy Yarmolenko, who has now moved out onto the flank after starting life as a target man.

He has searing pace and has retained the ability to score, with seven goals from 20 appearances to date.

The St Petersburg-born youngster has been courted by, among others, AC Milan and could make a name for himself in the tournament.

Results for Ukraine in 2011 were not great – with four wins, five defeats and three draws – and they will need their best players to be at the top of their game if they are to advance to the last eight.

They have won three of their last four friendlies, however, and drew 3-3 with Germany in November last year.

But this is where it starts to get serious and Sweden are tournament football veterans, who always seem to make a nuisance of themselves in the group stage.

Erik Hamren has moulded his charges into a solid, hardworking side who are well-organised and difficult to break down.

They also like to play 4-4-2 and hit teams on the break and, in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, have one of the best strikers in Europe to put the ball in the back of the net.

The giant hit-man has enjoyed another excellent season with AC Milan and will be full of confidence going into Sweden’s opening match, despite never really having shown his true colours on the biggest international stage.

He does have an excellent scoring record for the Swedes with 31 strikes in 77 appearances but he will need a solid tournament this time around to silence the doubters, with age not on his side.

Lyon’s left-footed midfielder Kim Kallstrom should provide Ibrahimovic with the service he needs as he was credited with seven assists during qualifying, while chipping in with three goals of his own.

If he can find his talismanic team-mate in the box then the Swedes will be a goal threat.

Former Bolton star Johan Elmander is likely to be the second striker and, while he is not as prolific in front of goal as his esteemed strike partner, he is a vastly experienced player and will not be fazed by facing the hosts on their own patch.

Sunderland’s Sebastian Larsson could have a big say in proceedings with his ability to score from set plays, while he will also provide decent crosses for the big man up front.

Midfielder Rasmus Elm has the x-factor needed to unlock defences and has been watched by several top European sides over the past 12 months.

Like Larsson, he is a dead-ball specialist but also has the ability to beat players and pick out a pass – he will pull the strings in the middle of the park for Hamren’s side.

Eight wins and two defeats in qualifying was a decent return and they will be confident of getting out of a group that contains England, who have always struggled to beat the Swedes, and a France side that can blow hot and cold.

Consistency is the Swedes’ main strength as they rarely get pummelled, with only Holland giving them a drubbing in qualifying and, despite Ukraine’s home advantage, they should get at least a point out of this one.

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