All to play for as Ukraine meet Spain

Ukraine and Spain meet in Herning for their final Group B match knowing their Under-21 finals' fate is in their own hands.

• While Ukraine got off the mark on Matchday 2 after securing a 0-0 draw against England, Spain chalked up their first win in a 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic.

• Ukraine will advance with a win and will be eliminated with any other result.

• Spain will be through with a point and could even afford to lose by three goals or fewer if the other game is drawn. However, if they lose 3-0, they would need the other game to be 0-0 or 1-1 but not any higher-scoring draw.

Match background

• The sides have met three times at this level, with one victory apiece and the other match drawn.

• They first crossed paths in a friendly in Alcudia on 21 August 1993, Ukraine recording a 2-1 away win.

• They were then paired in qualifying for the 2004 finals when Valdo and Rubén scored as Spain won the home fixture 2-0 before a goalless draw in the Kyiv return, where Rubén was sent off. Current coach Pavlo Yakovenko was in charge of Ukraine for both games.

• At U19 level, both countries have won one of their three meetings, Spain prevailing in the most recent game in Yerevan in the élite round of the 2008 European Championship. Emilio Nsue scored twice either side of an Aaron Ñíguez effort as Spain recovered from going behind to an early Andriy Yarmolenko penalty.

• The teams for that game on 22 May 2008 were:
Ukraine: Kychak, Mykytsey, Zozulya (Svorak 66), Sahaydak (Kovalov 73), Martynyuk (Kravets 46), Polifylo, Petrov, Stepanenko, Biliy, Yarmolenko.
Spain: De Gea, Ñíguez (Sergio García 68), Nsue, Azpilicueta, Dani Parejo, Mérida (Luque 66), San José, Camacho (Aquino 88), Ortiz, Chema Antón, Jordi Alba.

• Two similar-looking sides met in the countries' only competitive U17 encounter in 2007, Spain winning 3-1 in the group stage at the finals in Belgium. Nacho Camacho, Iago Falqué and Daniel Aquino made it 3-0 before Serhiy Shevchuk pulled a goal back after 80 minutes.

• The lineups for that game on 4 May 2007 were:
Spain: De Gea, Atienza, Camacho, Falqué (Porcar 72), Ximo Forner (David Rodríguez 60), Bojan (Aquino 64), Ismael López, Mérida, Morgado, Rochela, Sergio Rodríguez.
Ukraine: Bazylevych, Biliy, Karnoza, Korkishko, Kushnirov (Garmash 78), Maksymenko (Shakhov 49), Niemchaninov, Petrov, Shevchuk, Vitsenets, Yeremenko (Stetsenko 56).

• In three meetings at senior level, Spain have recorded two wins and a draw against Ukraine, most recently winning 4-0 in a group game at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals.

• Sevilla FC's Diego Capel and Oleg Golodyuk of FC Karpaty Lviv met in this season's UEFA Europa League, the Andalusian side running out 4-0 winners at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuan on 4 November 2010.

• Bojan Krkić appeared in FC Barcelona's 3-2 home defeat by FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League group stage on 9 December 2008.

Ukraine

• Substitute Roman Zozulya went the closest to giving his side a first win at these finals against England on Wednesday but, with his 82nd-minute shot scrambled away by goalkeeper Frank Fielding, Ukraine had to settle for one point.

• As they did before the first game, Ukraine decided to have a pre-match training session at their base in Vildbjerg rather than going to the stadium.

• On Wednesday, Yakovenko made five changes to the starting XI. He has hinted he will reshuffle his lineup again for the Spain decider.

• Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) president Grigoriy Surkis visited the team's dressing room after the match, as he did after the Czech game. He told the FFU's website: "Spain are the most solid team in our group in terms of the quality of their players, and their technical and tactical abilities. That would make it even more of an honour if we beat them."

• Injured captain Taras Stepanenko has already returned to Donetsk, but has discovered he will not have to undergo surgery and will instead take two to three weeks to recover.

Spain

• Adrián scored both goals in Wednesday's 2-0 victory against the Czech Republic, striking in the 27th minute and just after half-time. He has now scored six goals for Spain's U21s.

• Iker Muniain was the only change in the Spain lineup that played against the Czech Republic. The Athletic Club player replaced Jeffren in the starting XI.

• The atmosphere at Spain's headquarters in Silkeborg is buoyant following two good performances in Group B thus far. Captain Javi Martínez said: "The team has continued in the same vein from the first game and against the Czech Republic it improved again."

• Juan Mata, Javi Martínez, Adrián and Alberto Botía were all booked on Wednesday and join the previously cautioned Ander Herrera and Thiago Alcántara as players a yellow card away from missing a potential semi-final.

• Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Ángel María Villar and Fernando Hierro, the association's sporting director, were at the game in Viborg.

• On Thursday, the Spain squad took time out to go bowling in Silkeborg.