Shevchenko 50-50 for England match

By Simon Evans

DONETSK (Reuters) - Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko is rated as 50-50 to start Tuesdays final Euro 20212 Group D match against England as he struggles to recover from a knee injury, coach Oleg Blokhin said on Monday.

The 35-year-old forward took part in a squad training session on Monday but Blokhin said the decision over his involvement in the crunch game would not be made until match day.

"Its very hard to say, Im not a magician, you should ask the doctor - we have 24 hours, its 50-50 I think," he said when asked to rate Shevchenkos chances.

The loss of Shevchenko would be a huge loss for Ukraine because not only is he the countrys all-time top scorer but he is a key figure in the dressing room.

Blokhin, who eventually demanded reporters in the news conference stop asking questions about Shevchenko, said there was no doubt his team would be weakened if the former AC Milan forward was out.

"Our team doesnt have so many stars as the French, Spanish or Italian team, so his role his very big, especially in our attack.

"There probably isnt any other such striker in Ukraine and if he cannot play - it would be a big loss for us," he said.

Earlier, team doctor Leonid Mironov, speaking on Studiya 1+1 channel, said the tissue was still swollen in Shevchenkos knee which took two blows in the Group D loss to France and win over Sweden.

Shevchenko, who scored both goals in his sides 2-1 win over the Swedes, missed training on Sunday because he could not bend his knee joint properly, Mironov said.

The co-hosts must beat England to have a chance of reaching the quarter-finals.

Blokhin said the pressure was on Ukraines opponents given their higher status in the game and greater expectations.

"They are one of the favorites, so the pressure is on them," he said.

"We have a more relaxed approach, we have nothing to lose, even if we dont get a great result, if we show fight on the pitch till last minute that will be no disgrace," he said.

"England are a good team, everyone says they are tired but I really dont see that.

"They have a style of play and play to a plan. I dont believe this talk about English not being among the top teams," he said. (Reporting by Mike Collett, editing by Ed Osmond)