Scots boss expects Ukraine to be forward-thinking in play-off

STEVE CLARKE expects Ukraine to play on the front foot during Wednesday’s World Cup play-off at Hampden.

The Ukrainians will arrive in Glasgow from Slovenia, where they have been ensconced in a training camp since early May.

National coach Oleksandr Petrakov has predominantly been working with players from Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk, who have not played any competitive football since the Ukrainian domestic league was suspended in the wake of Russia’s invasion in late February.

Yet the squad has been bolstered by the addition of some of its top stars over the past fortnight.

Andriy Yarmolenklo, of West Ham, and Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko may be the most recognisable names, but Benfica’s Roman Yaremchuk and Ruslan Malinovskyi, of Atalanta, will also provide top-level and match-ready quality.

If Clarke can’t quite predict how Petrakov’s team will line up, the Scotland boss does not expect them to sit back and let Scotland dictate the game.

He said: ‘I like Ukraine. They are a really good team that plays positive football and plays to win. I don’t think they will come and sit in. They will come and take us on.

‘They are good in both phases of transition, when they concede possession, they get back behind the ball very quickly.

‘They are a good technical team and have two systems of play. They can play with a back three or they have dabbled a little with a back four. I am not quite sure what they will start with, but they won’t be quite sure how we will start either so it’s pretty fair.’

Although the Shakhtar and Dynamo players will be undercooked, Clarke knows the emotion and adrenaline of the occasion could spur them on.

That drive, added to their innate quality, is something the national coach will not take lightly as he attempts to take his players into a winner-takes-all showdown with Wales in Cardiff next weekend.

‘These players are top class. Don’t be fooled,’ said Clarke. ‘Maybe you don’t recognise the names or know the level of Ukrainian football but they are always involved at a good level.

‘Shakhtar Donetsk are normally in the latter stages of European tournaments, Dinamo Kyiv are in the group stages of European tournaments.’