Coach: Oleg Blokhin
Tactics: Swift on the counter with plenty of creativity in midfield.
Star Player: Andriy Shevchenko - one of the world greats who finally makes it on to the greatest stage of all.
Verdict: The first European team to qualify, Ukraine could trouble the favourites although they may not have the squad to go all the way. Strong in defence and clever in midfield, it is in attack where the real star lies. Shevchenko is arguably the best finisher in world football and if he hits form then the sparks could fly.
Ten things you didn’t know about Ukraine
1. Golda Meir (1898-1978), who became Israel's Prime Minister in 1969, and the world's second ever female Prime Minister, was born in Kyiv (Kiev)
2. If you give flowers to a Ukrainian, make sure there’s an odd number of blooms otherwise this will be considered to be bad luck
3. Famous Ukraninans or those of Ukrainian decent include actor Jack Palance, actress and model Milla Jovovich, Oscar winning actor Dustin Hoffman, actor Walter Matthau, artist Andy Warhol, ballet legend Vaslav Nijinsky, novelist Joseph Conrad, West Wing actor John Spencer, singer Michael Bolton and AC Milan footballer Andriy Shevchenko
4. Ukraine’s national anthem is rather optimistically entitled “Ukraine is Not Yet Dead”
5. Chicken Kiev, is not of Ukrainian origin as the name Kiev would imply. It was invented by the Frenchman who came up with the idea of storing food in tins and was called Chicken Supreme. The name Chicken Kiev was coined by early New York restaurants to try to please Soviet immigrants.
6. The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukrainian republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) that produced a plume of radioactive debris that drifted over parts of the western Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia, took place on April 26, 1986, and was the worst nuclear power accident in history.
7. 95% of Ukraine is flat or nearly flat
8. When in Ukraine, don't place your thumb between your first two fingers – as it’s considered to be a very rude gesture.
9. The poisoning of Victor Yushchenko came to light during his presidential campaign in September 2004. Yushchenko, famed for his good looks, suffered a mysterious illness leaving his face disfigured, making him appear to age 20 years in a matter of weeks. After the Orange Revolution which led to repeat elections, Yushchenko easily won the Presidency and became the first non-Kremlin supported leader of Ukraine.
10. In 2003, Ukrainian Sergey Karjakin became the world’s youngest ever chess Grandmaster at the age of 12 years and seven months
