Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin predicts his country will grind to a standstill when the former Soviet state battles with Italy in Hamburg for a place in the World Cup semi-finals.

Ukraine are competing in their first World Cup as a country in their own right since the disintegration of the Soviet Union for whom Blokhin, with the possible exception of legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin, was the greatest player.

Blokhin is well aware of the impact his team's run to the quarter-finals has had back home.

"All the people in Ukraine will be watching," said Blokhin, the 1975 European footballer of the year.

"No-one will be working. Everyone will be drinking beer and celebrating."

Blokhin believes the team's performances in Germany can help unite a country that has been divided by politics into pro-western and pro-Russian factions in recent years.

"The whole country is united behind us and pulling together," said Blokhin.

With striker Andriy Voronin ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a muscle injury, Blokhin must decide whether to bring in Artem Milevskyi alongside skipper Andriy Shevchenko while Sergei Rebrov could also renew the partnership he had with Shevchenko during their Dynamo Kiev days.

He will bolster the defence with Vyacheslav Sviderskyi and Andriy Rusol available again after being suspended for the last-16 match with Switzerland while Vladimir Yezerskyi is also at the coach's disposal after recovering from an injury.

The match will be a special one for Ukraine skipper Shevchenko who has just ended a successful seven-year stint in Italy with AC Milan to join Chelsea for a £30million.

However, the 29-year-old admits there will be no sentiment in Hamburg with the Italians and Ukrainians duelling for the right to face Germany or Argentina in the semi-finals.

Shevchenko said: "There will always be a place for Italy in my heart. But we will beat them."