Euro 2020 Profile: Russia

Team: Russia

Manager: Stanislav Cherchesov

Group: A

Other teams in group: Belgium, Denmark and Finland 

THE SQUAD 

There are just nine players in the Russian squad who reached the quarter-final in the last World Cup – although Stanislav Cherchesov remains in charge.

For that major championship on home soil, 21 of the 23 players plied their trade in Russia. This time around 22 of the 26 man squad play their football in the motherland while Fyodor Kudryashov plays in Turkey, Denis Cherysheve in Spain, Aleksei Miranchuk in Italy while Aleksandr Golovin lines out for Monaco. 

The squad in full: 

Goalkeepers: Yuri Dyupin (Rubin Kazan), Matvei Safonov (Krasnodar), Anton Shunin (Dinamo Moscow)

Defenders: Igor Diveev (CSKA Moscow), Georgi Dzhikiya (Spartak Moscow),? Mario Fernandes (CSKA Moscow), ?Vyacheslav Karavaev (Zenit St. Petersburg), Fedor Kudryashov (Antalyaspor), Andrei Semenov (Akhmat).

Midfielders: Dmitri Barinov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Denis Cheryshev (Valencia), ?Daniil Fomin (Dinamo Moscow), Aleksandr Golovin (Monaco), ??Daler Kuzyaev (Zenit St. Petersburg), ??Andrei Mostovoy (Zenit St. Petersburg), Maksim Mukhin (CSKA Moscow), ?Magomed Ozdoev (Zenit St. Petersburg),? ?Rifat Zhemaletdinov (Lokomotiv Moskva), Yuri Zhirkov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Roman Zobnin (Spartak Moskva).

Forwards: Artem Dzyuba (Zenit St. Petersburg), Aleksei Ionov (Krasnodar), Denis Makarov (Rubin Kazan), Aleksei Miranchuk (Atalanta), Aleksandr Sobolev (Spartak Moscow), Anton Zabolotny (CSKA Moscow)

HOW THEY GOT HERE 

Cherchesov’s side finished runners up in their Euro 2020 qualifying group, winning eight out of 10 matches. Their only defeats came home and away to one of the favourites for the tournament Belgium – and they face them again in the group stages.

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR 

Artem Dzyuba

The striker sits just one goal behind Russian all-time record goalscorer  Aleksandr Kerzhakov’s who scored 30 goals for the national side.

He scored three in the last World Cup and will skipper the side now that he is back in favour after a video of him carrying out a ‘lewd act’ was, eh, splashed across the internet. The leak saw him dropped from the Russia squad for the November set of matches.

Aleksandr Golovin 

The Monaco playmaker is the stand out player for Russia. He scored five goals and created nine assists in the 21 Ligue 1 appearances he made for Monaco this season. 

Yuri Zhirkov

The former Chelsea man is a player who brings huge experience to the Russian squad with 104 international caps. The Zenit player, who got game time in Tallaght Stadium against Dundalk in the 2016/17 Europa League, will be on home turf in St. Petersburg for two of Russia’s group games – and he is one of six Zenit players in the Russian squad. 

WHERE THEY ARE PLAYING 

Saturday 12 June: Russia v Belgium, St. Petersburg (kick off 8pm)

Wednesday 16 June: Russia v Finland, St. Petersburg (kick off 2pm)

Monday 21 June: Denmark v Russia, Copenhagen

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE TEAM 

The Soviet Union were winners of the 1960 European Championship with Russia reaching the semi-finals in 2008.

In the finals they have played 33 games, winning 12 and losing 14.

THEIR RECENT FORM 

The have begun their World Cup Qualifying campaign with two wins and one defeat and sit second in Group H behind Croatia but only on goal difference. They beat Malta 3-1 away and Slovenia 2-1 at home. Their lost was a 2-1 defeat to Slovakia in their most recent qualifier. 

They played two friendlies ahead of the Euros drawing 1-1 away to Poland and beating Bulgaria 1-0 in Moscow. 

First game: Russia have the prime 8pm kick off this Saturday night when they welcome Belgium to Saint Petersburg.

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— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) June 10, 2021