Ukraine wait on Shevchenko for Spain opener

KAMEN:

Doubts over the fitness of Ukraine goal machine Andriy Shevchenko and question marks over Spain’s strikers have dominated the build-up to Wednesday’s clash between the two favourites to qualify from Group H.

Former European Footballer of the Year Shevchenko has been nursing a knee injury and his participation against Spain will remain in doubt until the last minute.

The 29-year-old scored as a substitute in Thursday’s 3-0 warm-up win over Luxembourg and has looked sprightly in training but Shevchenko has suggested that he will not be fully fit until their second match against Saudi Arabia on June 19.

“I’m working with the squad and I’m feeling quite good,” he said. “This period is important for me as I have to work to get in better shape, possibly not for the first match but for the ones after.”

Coach Oleg Blokhin could delay a decision on whether the striker plays in Wednesday’s game until as late as one hour before kickoff. Spain come into the World Cup with the longest unbeaten run of the 32 finalists, having gone 22 games since their last loss.