Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin admits his World Cup debutants have already had a great tournament - but is still hoping for a bonus in the form of a quarter-final victory over Italy in Hamburg on Friday.

Blokhin had World Cup experience as a player with the Soviet Union but his team are competing at the highest level for the first time since Ukraine was one of the nations created by the disintegration of the former super power in 1991.

Speaking at Ukraine's base camp in Potsdam before his team travelled to Hamburg, Blokhin admitted anything that happened from now on would be a bonus for the former Soviet Republic which was a mainstay of the old CCCP (USSR) team composed largely of players from Russia and Ukraine.

"At this level of competition, every game we play is a bonus for us," said Blokhin, the 1975 European footballer of the year.

"But as the Brazil coach (Carlos Alberto Parreira) says the important thing is not to know how to play but to win the match at the end," said Blokhin, whose team has played disciplined but largely unattractive football in Germany.

Blokhin will not be able to count on injured striker Andriy Voronin for the rest of the tournament and - if he decides to field two frontmen against Italy it could be an opportunity for youngster Artem Milevskyi, whose cheeky chipped penalty contributed to the shoot-out victory over Switzerland in the last 16.

Another possibility is that Sergei Rebrov could come into the starting line-up and play behind skipper Andriy Shevchenko - the two once formed a potent pairing for their first club Dynamo Kiev.

There is better news in defence where Blokhin will again be able to call on three players who missed the match with the Swiss in Cologne.

Andriy Rusol and Vyacheslav Sviderskyi will likely return to the starting line-up after purging their suspensions while Vladimir Yezerskyi is available for selection against the Azzurri.

Blokhin made a gaffe at his press call in Potsdam when he mistakenly said that Giovanni Trapattoni was the Italy manager.

Trapattoni coached Italy between 2000 and 2004 but quit after Euro 2004 to be replaced by the current boss Marcello Lippi.

To general laughter from Italian journalists, Blokhin said: "So what? Trapattoni and Lippi are both excellent coaches."

Shevchenko will once again wear the captain's armband for the Ukraine and will play against an Italy squad that has several AC Milan players, the club he has just left for Chelsea in a £31million move after seven successful years with the San Siro club.

The victors of Friday's match in Hamburg will next play either hosts Germany or Argentina for a place in the final on July 9.

Blokhin may claim that everything that happens now is a bonus but before the tournament he told journalists that he believed that his team was capable of winning the World Cup.