Ukraine-England: World Cup 2010 Football Qualifier Preview

Ukraine - England

Saturday 10 October 2009, Dnipro Arena, Ukraine

World Cup 2010 Qualifier

Kick-Off: 17:15

England

England enter this 2010 World Cup Qualifier match against Ukraine knowing that they have already qualified for South Africa.

This early qualification for England has come thanks to an unbeaten run of eight wins from eight matches played so far, with an incredible goal record of 31 scored and five conceded.

The last win was a comprehensive 5-1 thrashing of Croatia back in September at Wembley Stadium, with two goals apiece from Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, and one to Wayne Rooney.

In spite of the pressure having been relieved from the Three Lions' shoulders, manager Fabio Capello insists that his side will not take this England v Ukraine match lightly.

"I will play with the best players 100% in the first half as always," Capello said. "The second half it's possible I will make some subs."

Notable absentees from England's squad include Theo Walcott, who was not included in spite of returning from a back injury as a goal-scoring, second-half substitution in Arsenal's 6-2 win over Blackburn last weekend.

Goalkeepers Ben Foster and Paul Robinson will both miss out due to injury, so David James and Joe Hart have been named in their place, with Robert Green another keeper included in the squad for this England-Ukraine fixture.

Lastly, Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott has withdrawn from the Three Lions side due to injury, and has been replaced by Gary Cahill.

Ukraine

Ukraine still face a challenging road ahead of them if they are to qualify for World Cup 2010.

The Ukranians currently sit third in Group Six, trailing second placed Croatia by two points after winning four, drawing three, and losing one of their opening eight matches.

However, Ukraine still have a match in hand over the Croatians, and whilst a match against Andorra next week should give the Ukranians a relatively easy three points, a win over England may be absolutely crucial, as Croatia face Kazakhstan in their final match.

Barcelona defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy and Dnipro's Andriy Rusol will both miss the upcoming qualifiers due to injuries, while Vitaliy Mandziuk will miss the Ukraine - England game through suspension.

Taras Mykhalyk and Olexander Aliyev have been recalled by Ukraine coach Oleksiy Mykhailychenko to fill in for injured players.

Prediction

The England - Ukraine meeting back in April ended in a 2-1 victory for the Three Lions, thanks to goals from Peter Crouch and John Terry. This reverse fixture, however, is played under different circumstances and so a different outcome may well be on the cards.

Firstly, whilst Capello has refused to become complacent in the remaining two qualification fixtures, the fact does remain that England have qualified for the World Cup whilst Ukraine are still desperate to do so.

This could result in the Ukranians upping their game in desperation, whilst England will not be dying to get a crucial last-minute equaliser or winner.

Secondly, Ukraine hold an impressive home record in the WCQ stage, with three wins (against Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Andorra), and a draw (against Croatia). This home advantage could prove the turning point in what would have otherwise been an England victory.

Still, Fabio Capello will be insistent that his men give 100 percent, and if England are on their game, it doesn't look like there shouldn't be too many opponents right now that would be able to take away all three points against the in-form English team.

Ukraine - England Prediction: Ukraine 1 - England 2

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