Ukraine superstar Andriy Shevchenko is looking forward to the biggest game in his country's short international history when they face Italy in the World Cup quarter-finals.

The 29-year-old striker knows much about the Azzurri squad after a lengthy stint in Italian football with AC Milan, having agreed a £31million move to Chelsea earlier this summer.

Shevchenko said: "The Italy team is full of talent, and some of them are my former comrades.

"I spent seven marvellous years in Italy and I owe the country a lot, but now we are playing against them in what is the most important fixture in the history of Ukraine.

"Italy must be favourites, but what we have to do is stick together as a team and as a unit and play with all our hearts to compensate for our weaknesses."

Ukraine will be without the injured Andriy Voronin, but welcome back defensive trio Andriy Rusol and Vyacheslav Sviderskiy and the injured Volodymyr Yezerskiy.