Czech Republic and Ukraine resume contest

The Czech Republic and Ukraine meet again in their UEFA European Under-21 Championship Group B opener with memories of a 2007 fixture at U17 level still fresh for some players.

• The nations were drawn together in qualifying for the 2009 U21 finals; the Czechs won 2-0 in Ukraine in 2007 but lost the return fixture 1-0 the following year.

• A youthful Ukraine lineup lost 2-1 against the Czech Republic in Uherske Hradiste in a friendly on 17 November 2010. Jan Vošahlik (8) and Václav Kadlec (39) put the hosts ahead, with Kyrylo Petrov (82) replying for Ukraine.

• The teams were:
Czech Republic: Vaclík (Hanuš 46), Hejda, Řezník (Čelůstka 72), Hořava (Černý 64), Kozák (Pekhart 64), Kadlec, Vošahlík (Dočkal 77), Kovařík, Gecov (Vácha 64), Hošek (Mazuch 64), Lecjaks.
Ukraine: Koval, Opanasenko (Eremenko 72), Kryvtsov, Plastun (Parcvania 46), Pryyma (Butko 42), Chaykovskiy (Grechyshkin 64), Bogdanov (Petrov 46), Vitsenets (Kaverin 78), Garsmash, Zapadnya, Bezus (Pavlov 64).

• The Czechs have beaten Ukraine twice in U19 qualifying, winning 3-1 on home soil in 2001/02 and 3-0 in Ukraine in 2005/06.

• In U17 qualifying the Czechs overcame Ukraine 2-1 in March 2010, while several players from the current U21 squad featured as Ukraine won 5-2 in Italy in 2007.

• Lukáš Mareček put the Czechs ahead but Ukraine responded with four Dmytro Korkishko goals, including a 12-minute hat-trick before half-time. Miroslav Štěpánek pulled one back before Serhiy Shevchuk made it 5-2.

• The teams for that game were:
Ukraine: Bazylevych, Biliy, Garashchenkov (Kushnirov 53), Karnoza (Vitsenets 63), Korkishko (Hudyma 80), Maksymenko, Petrov, Pidvirniy, Shakhov, Shevchuk, Stetsenko.
Czech Republic: Štěch, Balcar (Kraut 41), Divisek (Palko 41), Dostál, Lecjaks, Mareček, Pelán, Petr, Šťástka, Štěpánek, Zbrozek (Sus 49).

• The countries' senior sides have yet to meet; they are scheduled to go head-to-head in a friendly match in Prague on 6 September 2011.

• In 16 games between clubs representing the two nations in UEFA competition, Ukraine are on top with a record of W8 D3 L5.

• The Czech Republic's Marek Suchý and Ukraine's Yegor Lugachev spent a few months together at FC Spartak Moskva before Lugachev moved to FC Arsenal Kyiv in August 2010.

Czech Republic news

• Jakub Dovalil's squad arrived in Viborg on Thursday and were delighted to hear the popular Czech football song Zelená je tráva (The pitch is green) playing as they entered their hotel. Striker Kadlec was able to join the travelling party after overcoming an injury to his left foot. Adam Hloušek has shaken off a niggling knee problem, but Jan Morávek (hamstring) is a doubt.

• Their first training assignment was a 6km run near the hotel. Dovalil ran with his players but did not finish the course.

• Prior to departing for Denmark, the Czechs played a friendly against the reserve team of top-flight outfit FK Mladá Boleslav and won 8-1. Jan Chramosta, playing at his club's home ground, scored a hat-trick and there were also goals for Libor Kozák, Tomáš Pekhart, Lukáš Vácha and Ondřej Čelůstka along with an own goal.

• Goalkeeper Tomáš Vaclík is fresh from celebrating promotion to the Czech top flight with FK Viktoria Žižkov last Saturday.

• Danish Crown Prince Frederik welcomed the Czech team to Viborg at a dinner on Friday.

Ukraine news

• Pavlo Yakovenko's squad landed in Denmark on Friday. They had got together again – including those players regularly called up for senior national team duty – on Tuesday after a two-day break, reconvening for one final training camp at FC Obolon Kyiv's base in Bucha.

• On Wednesday – as is tradition under Yakovenko – the squad visited the famous Christian Orthodox monastery in the capital, Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, where they received a blessing from a monk.

• Ukraine captain Taras Stepanenko has recovered sooner than expected from a groin complaint and declared himself "much better" when he rejoined the group at their training base on 30 May.

• Summing up the training camp activities, which began on 24 May, Yakovenko said: "The thing is that a lot of our lads lacked match practice so we tried to compensate with lots of friendlies. Obviously we combined them with theoretical sessions. Not all of our opponents were strong, but these were still football matches and each player took part in four games."