FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 is going to kick off from 17th June (today) and ends on 2 July 2017. All eyes are on Germany, Portugal, and first timer in the cup, Chile.
Russia, who are ranked 63rd as per the latest Federation Internationale de Football Association rankings, come into the game against the All Whites following a series of impressive warm-up games against Hungary, which they won 3-0, and Chile, where they were successful in holding their vastly superior Confed Cup participants to a 1-1 draw.
Russia’s fast start contrasted with New Zealand seeming unsettled early in a game that began after an unusual pre-match ceremony.
The opponent of the home team is New Zealand.
A better team would have caused serious damage to the All Whites. However, you should not underestimate them as after so many defeats they would be eager to show rest of the planet what they can do on the pitch and they have improved under English coach Anthony Hudson.
New Zeland Playing XI: 1 Stefan MARINOVIC (GK), 3 Deklan WYNNE, 5 Michael BOXALL, 7 Kosta BARBAROUSES, 8 Michael McGLINCHEY, 9 Chris WOOD (C), 11 Marco ROJAS, 14 Ryan THOMAS, 18 Kip COLVEY, 20 Tommy SMITH, 22 Andrew DURANTE.
“He had no skills whatsoever, but worked hard and took the advice of his mother (Alan’s ex wife Maureen) to graft, graft, graft”.
Tickets are still available but, as requested by the Russian authorities, all fans must have a personalised Fan ID to watch Confederations Cup games for which they have purchased tickets.
They also have in Sandro Wanger, a unsafe striker in hot form, looking to force his way in to a regular starting place in the side. “We know they are strong but we have no fear of them”. Russia, curiously, are the only team in the tournament with a squad full of domestic players, with five players from the Russian Premier League Champions team Spartak Moscow.
Having played his last test match on June 9 against the Chilean team, the Russian team as a whole looked good. In goal, they have the evergreen Igor Akinfeev and in defense Vasili Berezulski, Sergei Ignasevich and Dimitri Kombasov. It is despite the notable absences of players such as Artem Dzyuba, Alan Dzagoev and Roman Neustadter.
Silva, who has just moved from FC Porto to AC Milan in a transfer worth almost 40 million euros, has scored seven goals in eight games since his debut with the national team in a friendly against Gibraltar in September.
Key figures such as Alan Dzagoev, Artem Dzyuba and Roman Zobnin are absent from the Confederations Cup through injury while veterans Vasili Berezutski and Sergei Ignashevich have retired. The Russian side are relatively young, only bringing nine players from the squad that competed in Euro 2016. The president prefers ice hockey and saw a team that carried fervent hopes of an Olympic title lose on home ice in the quarterfinals at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. “They can’t possibly lose to a team like New Zealand“.