SWITZERLAND v UKRAINE - SWISS TO SHACKLE SHEVA & CO
David John

The outstanding Philippe Senderos misses the rest of the World Cup after dislocating his shoulder in a rather innoucuous tumble on Friday against South Korea.

How much of a blow it is to Switzerland's long-term hopes in the tournament remains to be seen but it could be pretty damning with Ukraine - and £30 million striker Andrei Shevchenko - lying in wait on Monday night.

Senderos' Arsenal team-mate Johan Djourou comes into the starting line-up having played most of the second half against South Korea but now must raise his game another considerable notch or two in a bid to contain Sheva.

On the little we have seen of the teenager, he looks pacy, decent in the air and strong in the tackle.

He helped maintain a Swiss clean sheet on Friday, part of a back line that has yet to be breached as we enter the knockout phase.

That may not be saying a huge amount considering they have faced an out-of-sorts France and a Togo side beset by problems off the field.

But that is not a concern for gaffer Kobi Kuhn.

He can only send out a team to try and beat what is in front of them and seven points and topping Group G must equal mission accomplished so far.

Kuhn's side look lively in midfield and up front with Tranquillo Barnetta and Ricardo Cabanas providing the ammunition for Alexander Frei.

There was plenty for the latter to go at against South Korea and he should have had a hat-trick, not just the rather dubious one he collected after a bizarre offside ruling.

Hakan Yakin's delivery remains out of the top drawer so the bottom line must be the Swiss feeling fairly upbeat about their chances of overcoming this particular hurdle.

I would be inclined to agree.

Ukraine's one decent performance came in a must-win scenario against a ropey Saudi Arabia outfit, the displays either side failing to convince observers they are genuine contenders - boomakers have them around the 80/1 mark in the outright betting.

But the potential is present for them to make a game of it with anyone and this all-or-bust phase of the competition might just suit them a bit better.

Shevchenko, Maxym Kalinichenko, Anatoliy Tymoschuk and a resurgent Sergei Rebrov all scream quality - they perhaps just need to show some of the passion that coach Oleg Blokhin displays in one of his touchline rants.

The layers find these two tough to split but the consensus seems to give the Swiss an edge.

Shackling Sheva will be key but they seem just the more likely to show up and perform - back them at 13/8 with Skybet to win in 90 minutes.

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By Bettingzone.co.uk
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