BLOK OUT DOUBTERS
played a competitive match for eight months and their FA have taken f lak for their play-off preparations.
They have spent the past month at a training base in Slovenia and played three friendlies against Borussia Monchengladbach, Rijeka and Empoli.
But they have been heavily criticised by a number of Ukrainian personalities and ex-managers for failing to arrange a final friendly match this week, despite offers to play six different clubs and countries.
Manager Oleksandr Petrakov instead played a friendly between the two teams in his squad and claimed the call was on him.
Blokhin remains the only Ukrainian player to have won the Ballon d’Or and managed his country twice.
And the 69-year-old, who was manager of Ukraine in their only World Cup appearance in 2006 and also took charge at Euro 2012, reckons they can overcome the odds by beating Scotland then Wales in the final.
He said: “I am confident these guys will beat Scotland and not only that, I think they will beat Wales and get to Qatar 2022.
“I keep hearing about the fact we have only played challenge matches but footbal lers don’t play friendlies. They don’t know how to. UEFA did a great job
by arranging for them to go to Slovenia and use their facilities. A month of this will have al lowed us to prepare fully for the games.
“Everything can be fixed by training and they will have had a lot of sessions.
“Yes, we will need some luck because it won’t be easy in Glasgow. But it will come down to who is more up for the fight and our motivation could not be higher.”
Meanwhile, Atalanta star Ruslan Malinovsky insists their inter- squad game, where one of the sides adopted the same tactics as Scotland, wi l l be ideal preparation for Wednesday.
Malinovsky said: “There was a really high tempo to the game. We were asked to treat this game as official, so all the guys performed 100 per cent. The main thing was to endure 90 minutes physically, to prepare and practise tactical moments in defence and attack.”