Blohkin beats
Tuesday, 19 June, 2012
Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin piles the pressure on England
Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin has piled the pressure on England ahead of their Group D decider on Tuesday - and says the Three Lions are a good bet for the EURO 2012 Final.
Ukraine need a win to advance to the knockout stages after losing 2-0 against France on Friday night. They began the tournament in fine fashion, with Andriy Shevchenko scoring twice in their opening win over Sweden.
Shevchenko took his tally to 48 goals for Ukraine but is an injury doubt for the match on Tuesday and following the defeat to France, they are left with it all to do against an England side brimming with confidence.
Blokhin hopes Shevchenko can make it for the match and the Ukraine coach believes Roy Hodgson's men have everything to lose.
"After the last game, Shevchenko had an injury in his knee and we are doing everything possible to prepare him for the game," said Blokhin.
"If he (Shevchenko) is not able to play tomorrow, it is a big loss for us. It's 50-50 whether he will play.
"I think that the England team will be more nervous tomorrow. We don't have anything to lose and the fans will be the 12th man.
"England are expected to play in the Final."
Goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov added: "Firstly, we play for our nation and our country.
"We don't think about our careers. The most important thing is the result of the team, it's not about individuals."