Ukraine have uphill task against Sweden

Ukraine’s stuttering preparations for staging Euro 2012 have provided UEFA with continual headaches and things have not gone much better on the pitch for the tournament co-hosts.

To make matters worse, 10 players were then laid low by a stomach bug as Ukraine prepared for Monday’s Group ‘D’ clash against Sweden while their three top keepers are all unavailable for the finals, one because of a doping violation.

Having reached the World Cup quarterfinals only six years ago, Ukraine have since slipped from 13th in the FIFA world rankings to 52nd, losing five matches out of six at one stage last year. A sign of their troubles is that they still look to former AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko for inspiration, even though, at 36, he is well past his peak.  Capped 108 times by his country, Shevchenko is promising the home fans an improvement on recent performances.

This may prove problematic against Erik Hamren’s attack-minded Sweden side.  
The coach recently dismissed suggestions of defensive worries after the Swedes conceded three soft headed goals in two friendly games.

After years of conservative football under the pragmatic Lars Lagerback, Hamren will send out a team that is not afraid to be positive.