Snow blocking Blokhin's path

The weather could be Ukraine's most dangerous opponent as they seek a six-point return from their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Lithuania.

Bitter weather
Fourth in Group B with six points from three matches, Oleh Blokhin's team are three points adrift of leaders Scotland and France with a game in hand. However, bitter winter weather may force the postponement of Saturday's fixture in the Faroes, with a rematch being touted for 22 August.

Postponement plans
"I would be happy if they decided to postpone the match," admitted Blokhin. "The worst thing would be for us to go there and get on to the pitch and for the referee call the match off. Then we would have to spend six more hours in a plane and pull ourselves together for the Lithuania game."

Shevchenko concentration
The uncertainty over the fixture has not dented Chelsea FC striker Andriy Shevchenko's focus. "We are not wondering whether the game will go ahead or not," he said. "We are training because we know we cannot afford to drop points in the Faroes. Everything else is secondary. If we play, we will play to win."

Fit squad
The weather reports are a real blow to Blokhin, who finally has a full squad to choose from after some problems earlier in the campaign. "Ironically, we have no personnel problems at the moment," Blokhin said. "It is the first time in years. Yes, [FC Shakhtar Donetsk] goalkeeper Bohdan Shust is injured but we have cover for him, and all the rest are fit despite some minor complaints."

Goalscoring form
Blokhin's players have been in good scoring form too, with Shevchenko finding the target in his last two outings for Chelsea and Andriy Voronin doing likewise for Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Anatoliy Tymoschuk, Serhiy Rebrov, Serhiy Nazarenko and Volodymyr Yezerskiy also registered in their most recent club matches.

'Whatever happens'
In fact, the only worries Blokhin had were second-choice striker Olexiy Bielik and Andriy Vorobey's lack of first-team football. However, fretting over snow in the Faroes has put all those cares on the back burner. "Whatever happens, we will not give up on our overall task," said the coach.