Belgium hope to upset Ukraine

Belgium coach Benny Meurs knows his side are up against it as they seek to salvage their UEFA European Futsal Championship hopes against Ukraine on Thursday, though his opposite number Gennadiy Lysenchuk suspects their opponents have been saving themselves for this match.

Opening defeat
Italy defeated Meurs's side 4-0 in the Group B opener in Debrecen on Tuesday, and another loss would end Belgium's campaign before some sides have even played their first game in Hungary. Victory would seal progress for Ukraine, along with Italy, regardless of the result when those teams meet on Saturday, and Meurs admitted: "We were bottom seeds and we have to play better teams. Ukraine are as good as Italy, so it will be very difficult for us."

Duo return
There is some hope for Belgium with the return of Salhi Saad and Jonathan Neukermans from suspension. "Any team who loses a player is handicapped, but the higher the level of the team the easier it is to change a player," Meurs said. "In our team every player is so important, we don't have 15 or 16 players of the same standard. So if one of our best players is out, it makes more of a difference for us than for stronger teams, especially in these sort of games."

Ukrainian experience
Ukraine go into the game with one player banned – Mykhaylo Romanov, who scored twice in the 2-2 draw with Romania that confirmed qualification. They surprisingly lost all three games at the 2007 finals but Lysenchuk expects an improvement. "People liked our play in Portugal two years ago, but despite that we finished last in the group," the long-serving coach said. "We have analysed that result and made a conclusion; the mistake was that we had too many young players and not enough experience. That's why we have picked several players aged over 30."

Saving themselves
Aiming to match what the Azzurri did and hit Belgium with an early goal, Lysenchuk told uefa.com: "They tried to beat Italy, but when they realised that it was impossible, they did not play at 100%. They knew we were watching from the stands and they had two key players suspended, and that's why they decided to save energy for a decider against us. This game will be crucial for them. They have some good players, especially Ahmed Sababti, who played a lot in the first match. They press well and are solid in defence. We know they will play better against us and we are ready."