Ukraine aim to show spirit

Two years after losing in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship semi-finals, Ukraine stage Elite round Group 4 in Donetsk hoping to then play across the border in Poland. Denmark, the Czech Republic and Switzerland are out to stop them.

Rybka selected
Several of the Ukraine squad qualified for the 2004 U17 finals, defeating Denmark on the way, but lost all three games in France. Under Anatoliy Buznik this season they have shown useful form, defeating Latvia and Armenia in the qualifying round to ensure a loss to Serbia and Montenegro could not prevent progress. Buznik is able to call on FC Dynamo Kyiv goalkeeper Olexander Rybka, who did a good job of replacing the injured senior Ukraine No1 Olexander Shovkovskiy at his club this spring. Another regular with Dynamo experience is Denis Dedechko.

Yakovenko talent
However, it is attacking midfielder Olexander Yakovenko from K. Lierse SK who is key. The son of ex-Dynamo and Soviet Union midfielder Pavlo Yakovenko is aided by FC Khakiv striker Maxym Gladkiy, who has also played for the U21 team. "It won't be easy for us in Donetsk, but my team is capable of doing well in this group and advancing to the finals", said Buznik. "With the support of the home fans the boys will be playing to the peak of their potential, and this is a key factor for us. We have a good team spirit and a lot of confidence. Now we have to prove it on the pitch."

Impressive haul
They open against the Swiss, the other beaten U19 semi-finalists as hosts in 2004. They were in irresistible form in the qualifying round, following victory against Finland with a 12-0 defeat of Andorra - a Swiss men's national team record - and a scoreless draw against a strong Scotland team. Coach Claude Ryf has been using several of the 2005 U17 squad that qualified for the 2005 U17 finals, including goalkeeper Yann Sommer, defender Samuel Haas, midfielder Ivan Rakitic and forward Bekim Halimi. After some mixed friendly results form picked up in March with a 3-1 victory against Northern Ireland, and on 3 May they drew 1-1 in Slovenia.

Czech seeds
The other opening game brings together the Czechs with Denmark. Excused the qualifying round as seeds, the Czechs won the warm-up tournament in Poland in October, beating England and the hosts' second team before losing to their main selection. They also defeated Portugal 2-0 in February but lost their dress rehearsal 1-0 at home to Serbia and Montenegro last month. "But we missed several key players," explained Czech coach Jaroslav Horák, who fears the Swiss the most. Midfielder Michal Švec had played 38 games in the top flight for SK Slavia Praha before suffering injury, but is back alongside a new call-up, promising club-mate Petr Janda.

Denmark bullish
Denmark also boast several players with top-flight experience including defender Magnus Troest from FC Midtjylland, AGF Århus duo Danilo Arrieta Cerda and Cheik Tediane Zarr plus Silkeborg IF midfielder Søren Ulrik Westergaard, although Arsenal FC forward Nicolas Bendtner is at the U21 finals in Portugal. Having qualified without conceding a goal in wins against Liechtenstein and Kazakhstan and a draw against Slovakia, Denmark defeated Cyprus 2-0 and 4-1 in January friendlies at a training camp. Coach Per Andersen believes they can make it past this stage having fallen in the last four years: "You can hardly be anything other than satisfied. We are good at scoring goals, and in general we do well in defence as well as going forward."

Additional reporting by Ladislav Josef and Peter Bruun