Ukraine hope their fast and skilful wingers, Andriy Yarmolenko and Evhen Konoplyanka, will take opponents by surprise
This article is part of the Guardian's Euro 2012 Experts' Network, a co-operation between 16 of the best media organisations from the countries who have qualified for the finals in Poland and Ukraine. guardian.co.uk is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 8 June.
The Ukrainian national team normally prefers a 4-4-2 formation but the way Oleh Blokhin uses the wings and one of the forwards it often turns out to be a more fluent 4-2-3-1. In goal, Oleksandr Shovkovskiy from Dynamo Kyiv has been the undisputed No1 for nearly two decades but a shoulder injury ruled out the 37-year-old for this tournament. Finding a back-up to Shovkovskiy has been difficult after Oleksandr Rybka was banned after failing a doping test last November and Andriy Dikan suffered a serious injury in March. Shakhtar Donetsk's Andriy Pyatov is likely to start against Sweden.
The most problematic position for the team is central defence. Dmytro Chigrinskiy has been ruled out through injury and the defenders who are considered the best in the country (Taras Mykhalyk from Dynamo Kyiv and Yaroslav Rakitskiy from Shakhtar Donetsk) have not played together enough. Mykhalyk missed a big part of the season because of injury and Rakitskiy somehow manages to get injured or fall ill just before the national team is about to convene.
Therefore it remains to be seen whether they will play together in the finals. Blokhin can also opt for Evhen Khacheridi (Dynamo Kyiv) or Oleksandr Kucher (Shakhtar Donetsk), as he has done in friendlies. But there is a caveat with Khacheridi: he is a very good player with good potential, but his disciplinary record leaves a lot to be desired.
In the full-back positions, Blokhin has started to use the 21-year-old Bogdan Butko from Illichivets (where he is on loan from Shakhtar) and the Vorskla player Evhen Selin. However there is a high probability that one of the full-back berths will be occupied by the versatile Oleh Gusiev (Dynamo Kyiv). He is one of the leaders of the team and can play on either flank. He can defend and attack, but his position on the pitch will depend on the aim of Blokhin (whether he wants to win or just go for a draw).
In the centre of midfield Blokhin preferred combination is that of the defensive midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk from Bayern Munich together with a deep-lying playmaker. There are two main candidates for this position: Ruslan Rotan (Dnipro) and another youngster, Denys Garmash (Dynamo Kyiv). It is possible that even the coach does not know at the moment which of those two will start. Taras Mykhalyk could also start in midfield if Blokhin decides against giving the 28-year-old a place in his defence.
The main hope of the Ukrainian team at the upcoming tournament are the wide players: Andriy Yarmolenko from Dynamo Kyiv and Evhen Konoplyanka, who represents Dnipro. Both are 22 years old and started out in the national youth teams together. Both are typical examples of a modern winger who like to drift inside. Konoplyanka and Yarmolenko are fast, technically skilled players with an eye for goal. They are both able to play across the attacking midfield positions. Gusiev can also play as a winger, as can Serhiy Nazarenko from Tavriya Simferopol.
Blokhin once said that the team lacked players in attack. The problem is mainly that his key players in this area have had inconsistent or injury-disrupted seasons. The main star of the team, Andriy Shevchenko, is permanently suffering from back injuries and there are doubts about whether or not he can start every game.
The former Milan and Chelsea striker, however, is these days able to play as a second striker as well as an out-and-out striker. Artem Milevskiy can fulfil the same function as Shevchenko. He has struggled throughout the season and was, at times, not even picked by Dynamo, despite Shevchenko's injury problems.
The Metalist striker Marco Devic, a former Serbian citizen, and Evhen Seleznyov from Shakhtar can also play in the centre of attack. They are the leading scorers in the Ukrainian Premier League, but Devic and Seleznyov do not always start for their teams. Devic is even regarded as a bit of a supersub for Metalist.
For many years the second striker position was occupied by the former Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen player Andriy Voronin, now with Dynamo Moscow but he has not produced his best for the national team for a long time.
Blokhin will definitely switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation if Oleksandr Aliev from Dynamo Kyiv is in the starting XI. He is the most skilful set-piece taker and has a fearsome shot, but can be inconsistent.
In general it is fair to say that the set-up of Ukraine's attack will be decided in the days leading up to the game, depending on the physical condition of the forwards and, indeed, the other squad members who missed Tuesday's friendly with Turkey due to the stomach bug that has swept through the squad.
Under Blokhin, the team try to play a high-tempo game. The speed and the ability of the wingers (Gusiev, Yarmolenko and Konoplyanka) to play without shackles is very important. In matches against strong opponents Ukraine will certainly cede ground because Blokhin's team often has problems with ball possession – their main weapon is often the counterattack. Even when playing against teams of the same level or weaker, Blokhin still focuses on quick counterattacks.
Who is the player who is going to surprise everyone at the Euros?
Evhen Khacheridi. Not so long ago Oleksandr Aliev called his Dynamo Kyiv team-mate "The woodpecker". Khacheridi was known for his stupid behaviour on the pitch, which saw him sent off several times, but he has now matured and is playing his best football. He is a cool, collected and reliable operator.
Who is the player who is going to disappoint the most?
Andriy Voronin. He has not shone for the national team for a long time but has had a good year with Dynamo Moscow, leading most experts to think that he will be one of the leaders of the team this summer. However, in the last few months he has not played regularly for Dynamo and Blokhin has admitted it is a "disturbing situation".
What is the realistic aim for your team at the Euros and why?
Knock-out stage. England with a new manager, France with Nasri (which means something entirely different in Ukrainian) and the Swedes near Poltava – what could possibly go wrong, eh?
Igor Boyko, Aleksey Ivanov and Yuriy Shevchenko, write for football.ua and Football Style magazine
Click here to read the profile of Andriy Yarmolenko
Click here to read the secrets behind the Ukraine players Read More
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