Voller and Germany in fear of the masked man

Germany and Ukraine have had their noses put out of joint, in some respects literally. There is never any question that the Germans will qualify for the World Cup; after all they have won it three times. But they find themselves pitched into a play-off for a place in Japan and Korea next year because England shattered their image of invincibility on their own soil.

Then again, a play-off is no more inviting for their opponents, Ukraine, who host the first leg in Kiev on Saturday. The break-up of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia gave a host of newly independent nations the chance to prove their prowess on the pitch, and it was widely assumed that Ukraine had the greatest promise having often provided the core of the Soviet side.

Promises, promises. Trips to the play-offs for the last World Cup and Euro 2000 finished in failure and, what was worse, against two other new sides who thereby stole their thunder. Croatia went on to finish third at France 98 and Slovenia impressed in the Euro finals two years later and now face Romania in a play-off.

Ukraine's power base, Dynamo Kiev – whose veteran coach Valeri Lobanovski also guides the national side – have declined since reaching the European Cup semi-finals two years ago. The players who gave them that success moved on, the club cashing in and turning to foreigners.

Prime among those they sold were their vaunted strikers, Andriy Shevchenko and Sergei Rebrov, and all is not well at the moment with either of them. Shevchenko may be hidden in a face mask for the first leg after breaking his nose while playing for Milan against Bologna in Serie A last Sunday. German newspapers talk of him looking like Zorro and posing a similar threat to the swashbuckling hero, but Shevchenko will find it tough to be at his best.

Rebrov is suffering from a recognition problem, too. Tottenham fans could be forgiven for questioning the identity of that bustling striker who wears No 11 and comes on for the last 11 minutes. It is the club's £11m man, that's who, and he is not happy about playing a bit part in the Premiership while his international partner is idolised in Italy. In some corners of White Hart Lane Rebrov is still living on his late goal that denied Arsenal victory in a Champions' League game at Wembley. Rebrov, who has overcome a knee injury that kept him out of Tottenham's win over Middlesbrough last week, is not making the most his late cameo roles; rather than grab his opportunities he has snatched at his chances.

His main concern is that without regular first-team football his form for Ukraine has suffered. His manager Hoddle said: "I can understand that he is frustrated at not being in the team, but the 11 players I am putting out at the moment are winning games."

Rebrov will not mind who scores, so long as Ukraine win, too. Goalscoring let the Ukrainians down in their qualifying group, where they mustered only 13 goals in 10 games, six coming in the last three matches when a victory in Minsk helped them to overhaul Belarus and secure second place behind Poland. Shevchenko scored nine of their goals, Rebrov none.

But problems at the other end have become just as serious. Olexander Shovkovski was the first choice goalkeeper until he was injured, and the promising Sergei Perkhun died after suffering head injuries in a collision during a Russian League match for CSKA Moscow. Having tried five alternatives to Shovkovski Lobanovski could opt for Vitali Reva, a Dynamo Kiev reserve.

Germany have no such problems in goal but would probably prefer that Oliver Kahn, their likely captain, was not such a clear-cut choice as their best player. The decline of the current bearer of the armband Oliver Bierhoff is typical of the problems that their coach Rudi Völler has to overcome if he is to avoid the disgrace of failure. Bierhoff missed three chances in their last group game in Finland to score the goal that would have put Germany straight into the finals.

In his quest for more from the men between the Olivers Völler has recalled Mario Basler after a three-year absence, and included Rebrov's Tottenham team-mate, Christian Ziege. Völler has even called up the bulky Bayern striker Carsten Jancker, who has a foot injury that may well keep him out of the first leg, while the defender Jens Nowotny is troubled by a knee injury. Mehmet Scholl and Jens Jeremies are long-term absentees and now the midfielder Sebastian Deisler has had knee surgery.

Having to battle on in the play-offs has wounded Germany's footballing pride, but Völler remains defiant. "I am very sure that we will qualify," said Völler and Germany certainly expects – all 52,000 tickets for the return in Dortmund on 14 November have been sold. "It hurts me, it hurts the team, but all that does not matter now. We have to look ahead." To an uncertain future, if Ukraine finally discover the secret of winning play-offs.