Switzerland favoured as tattered Ukraine tries to find team

By Stefan Korshak Jun 25, 2006, 15:33 GMT

Potsdam, Germany - Switzerland was the strong favourite for its first World Cup knock-out match as its opponent Ukraine scrambled frantically on Sunday to patch gaping holes in its roster.

Monday's tie in Cologne pits one of the strongest Swiss teams in a decade against an East European side riddled with defensive player losses, and yet to prove its attack against a first-class opponent.

Switzerland lacks only starting defender Philippe Senderos, lost for the rest of the World Cup after a shoulder dislocation during the team's 2-0 win over South Korea on Friday.

Two Ukrainian defenders, Andrij Rusol and Vyacheslav Svidierskij, are suspended and will miss the game. The health of a third, Vladimir Yezerskij, is questionable after a muscle pull.

The fitness of Ukraine's only world-class player, striker Andrij Shevchenko, remains unclear as well, his coach Oleg Blokhin on Friday declaring he 'did not see Andrij returning to match fitness during the World Cup.'

The Swiss won their group on the strength of a tough defence that did not concede a goal despite being up against South Korea and France.

The Ukrainians lost their first game to Spain 4-0 before bouncing back to manage a second place in their group, defeating average Tunisian and Saudi Arabia sides in the process.

The Swiss also hold an experience advantage, the present team almost to a man participating in its second World Cup. The Ukrainians are in the tournament for the first time.

'I think we have the qualities to win against Ukraine,' said confident Swiss Ricardo Cabanas. 'We have more experience now yes, but also more confidence because of our results.'

The loss of Senderos and his aerial skills will likely force Swiss coach Jakob Kuhn to rely more heavily on mobile striker Alexander Frei and a fast-paced attack.

Speedy winger Raphael Wicky and through passes to Frei by creative midfielder Ricardo Cabanas could prove particularly troublesome to the tattered Ukrainian defence, because much the Ukrainian backfield had not played together until the World Cup.

For the Ukrainians an effective Shevchenko remains critical for their hopes. However, 'the psychological factor' was their biggest worry, assistant coach Simen Altman told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

'There is nothing more important than the mind-set of our players, we are working on that, not on penalty kicks (in case of a draw against Switzerland).

Ukraine's attack will be built on the busy bee energies of striker Andrij Voronin, and possible runs down the wing by flanker Oleg Gusev and attacking midfielder Maksym Kalinichenko.

But Ukraine's main worry, and Switzerland's insurance in the upcoming match, remains the gaping holes in Ukraine's defensive backfield.

'Where am I going to get defenders?' Blokhin asked rhetorically at a Friday press conference. 'I can play, and so can (assistant coach Oleg) Kuznetsov...but otherwise, my bench is empty.'