"We are not afraid of playing against them, we will play freely. We are going to aim for victory," Blokhin was quoted as saying by BBC Sports on Thursday.

"Italy are under pressure because they are the favourites in our game and we have already achieved what we wanted to. We have already made history," he added.

The Ukrainians proved to be a great success after they qualified to the World Cup quarter-finals in their debut, if they beat Italy they will play Germany or Argentina in the tournament's semi final.

Meanwhile, Ukraine skipper Andrei Shevchenko said his team's high spirit is crucial in their anticipating clash against the Azzurri.

"Italy are favourites but the important thing for us is to play with enough heart to make up for any technical shortcomings we may have," he said.

"We must recover our strength after our exertions against Switzerland and go on to the pitch as a solid unit," he added.