The return of 33-year-old Andriy Shevchenko (pictured left) to his first club Dynamo Kyiv at first reflected positively on his FTBL rating; for a while, he even rose to 2nd place in the ranking of Ukrainian forwards. But Dynamo Kyiv’s drubbing at the hands of Barcelona in the Champions League’s group stage had the unfortunate result of knocking the former AC Milan star striker out of the elite: he now has an ignominious rating of just 52.24 points.

Another cause for concern is that, so far, Shevchenko has scored just once for Dynamo, and that goal was from the penalty spot! The ageing star seems more fortunate with the national squad, where he finds the net a lot more often. If he manages to score again against already-qualified England next Saturday, he will be guaranteed at least 9 rating points in our system. And if that goal seals victory for Ukraine, then Shevchenko will get an even bigger reward in the form of 25 rating points and change, besides becoming once again the darling of Ukraine. Only then will a discussion of his further progress make sense.

In the next two games Shevchenko will face a plank of approximately 20 rating points to beat. Wins in those games (against Arsenal Kyiv and England) should earn him something in the neighborhood of 10 rating points. Here’s our prognosis: by October 11, Shevchenko should surge past the 60-point mark in the rating; that is, if Ukraine win. If you agree with such a prediction, then go to BetEx and place a bet against those who disagree.