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| PROBABLE LINEUPS |
UKRAINE  Rybka Butko, Kucher, Kryvtsov, Selin Tymoshchuk, Rotan Nazarenko, Konoplyanka, Yarmolenko Milevskiy | GERMANY  Wiese Boateng, Mertesacker, Hummels, Aogo Khedira Muller, Gotze, Ozil, Podolski Gomez |
Ukraine coach Oleh Blokhin has a veritable scroll of injuries to cope with – 10 in total – which include all-time top scorer Andriy Shevchenko, former Barcelona defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy and ex-Liverpool striker Andriy Voronin, who, in particular, will be missed due to his excellent club form this season with Dinamo Moscow.
Oleksandr Shovkovskiy, Oleksandr Aliyev, Oleh Husyev, Yevhen Khacheridi, Taras Mykhalyk, Denys Harmash, Oleksiy Gai make up the rest of the absentee list.
On the plus side, Blokhin will have the steel of Bayern Munich stalwart Anatoliy Tymoshchuk as well as Dynamo Kiev star Artem Milevskiy. Additionally, Voskla Poltava's up-and-coming forward Roman Bezus is likely to make his debut.
Germany coach Joachim Low looks set for some experimentation, stating that he would like to try out playing Borussia Dortmund prodigy Mario Gotze and Real Madrid's Mesut Ozil together. Veteran striker Miroslav Klose joins Marco Reus on the injury list, while Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer are likely to rejoin the squad on Saturday for the fixture against Netherlands next week.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
- Mario Gomez is on par with Cristiano Ronaldo in the European Golden Shoe table this season with 13 goals. Lionel Messi is one goal ahead.
- Anatoliy Tymoshchuk has played at Bayern Munich since 2009, winning the Bundesliga title in his first season at the Bavarian giants.
- Had Andriy Voronin been fit, his expertise in dealing with German footballers may have come in handy as he has played at a total of five Bundesliga clubs: Borussia Monchengladbach, Mainz, Koln, Hertha Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen.
- The last German team to line up in Kiev was Leverkusen, who played against Dynamo at the Lobanovsky in the 2004-05 Champions League. One of the two scorers for Leverkusen in their 4-2 loss was Voronin.
- Ukraine qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and reached the quarter-finals after winning a penalty shoot-out against Switzerland, only to then lose 3-0 to eventual winners Italy.
Prediction
In light of some of Germany's usual suspects being missing from their defence, miscommunication could cost Die Mannschaft a goal. However, depending on a number of factors - Gotze and Ozil's ability to play together being a possible candidate - do not be surprised if the visitors run riot for the majority of the game.
Editor's Prediction
Ukraine 1-3 Germany 
