EURO 2008: Russia’s Injured Striker Pavel Pogrebnyak Could Miss Action

In my earlier entry I wrote that Russia’s only problem lies in their attack. Now, to add pain to the injury, Russia’s striker Pavel Pogrebnyak suffered a knee injury during Russia’s 2-1 victory over Serbia in a friendly match. The striker scored the first goal for Russia on a free kick before being substituted. Coach Guus Hiddink is hopeful that Pogrebnyak will play in Euro 2008, though he admits that the striker will not bale to train in the next few days.

Though Russia has some talented strikers like Andrei Arshavin, Dmitri Sychev and Roman Pavlyuchenko but lack of consistency has become a problem for Russia. So, with Pavel Pogrebnyak falling in injury, the situation becomes a bit tough for Hiddink to choose his best front line. Here, it is noteworthy that Andrei Arshavin will not be able to play first two Euro 2008 matches because of suspension. Now, let us see if Pavel Pogrebnyak can play in Euro 2008 tournament.

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Canadian Press

Euro 2008: Russia Squad

Russia is not a big name in the football world. They are not even considered as a big power in Europe. However, it seems that time has come to take Russia seriously. Particularly, after their Euro 2008 qualifying round success, Russia seems to be emerging as a tough European side. Russia finished in second place in Group E of qualifying round where they had to face England and Croatia, two established sides in Europe. Russia’s glowing performance in Euro 2008 qualifying round proved lethal for England being failed to get the ticket of Euro 2008 final competition. So, no doubt, Russia is going into the tournament with lots of self-confidence. Euro 2008 starts from 7 June 2008. This year the competition will be organized by Austria and Switzerland jointly.

Soviet Union participated in the first four European championship tournaments. However, Russia as an independent country first took part in UEFA Euro tournament in 1996 after finishing first in the group of qualifying round, but their performance in the final competition was not good enough to get into the next round. Four years later, they failed to get the ticket of final competition, but they again appeared in the biggest stage of European football in Euro 2004, but could not show anything impressive getting out of the tournament from the group stage. So, Euro 2008 is going to be the third tournament for Russia. Though their performance in the previous two tournaments was not inspirational, Russia can take inspiration from their qualifying round performance of Euro 2008. Dutch coach Guus Hiddink is well-known for bringing success and Russian fans are hoping that Russia will do well under Hiddink in Euro 2008. Many of you might know that Guus Hiddink led South Korea to win the fourth place in FIFA 2002 World Cup, the best ever performance by an Asian side.

Russia has been drawn into Group D of Euro 2008 where they have to face defending champion Greece, Sweden and Spain. So, it is pretty clear that Russia is not favorite to reach the next round from this group with the presence of big teams of Europe. You know that Spain is a football power in the world, while Greece was in impressive form in the last tournament under their German coach Auto Rehhagel. Sweden is also an impressive side in Europe. So, winning a quarter final spot will not be easy for Russia. However, still you know that Russia was not favorite to win a place in Euro 2008 final being drawn into the same group alongside England and Croatia in qualifying round. However, Russia’s impressive performance forced England to miss the Euro 2008 final competition. So, if Russia can continue their impressive run, then it is very possible for Russia to make it to the next round from Group D in Euro 2008 tournament.

Russia Coach Guus Hiddink declared 23-man final squad of Russia for Euro 2008 on last Tuesday. Two players have been left out of the final squad: Oleg Ivanov of Krylya Sovietov Samar and Alexander Pavlenko of Spartak Moscow, both of them got their first call in national side when Hiddink declared 25-man preliminary squad earlier this month. However, defender Renat Yanbayev of Lokomotiv Moscow could impress the coach and he is now the only new face in the final Russian squad for Euro 2008. You might know that striker Alexander Kerzhakov was omitted from the preliminary squad due to his current off form. Midfielder Sergei Semak makes it to the final squad thanks to his impressive form in Rubin Kazan in Russian Premier League. Igor Akinfeev will be the first choice goalkeeper, while during his injury Vyacheslav Malafeev and Vladimir Gabulov proved that they would be up to the mark when given the chance. Sergei Ignashevich, Vasili Berezutski and Aleksei Berezutski are automatic choice for Russia’s defense, while Aleksandr Anyukov has the versatility to play as a defensive midfielder. Denis Kolodin proved his skill as a centre-back. Russia played a 5-man midfield in the qualifying round which could be trimmed to four in Euro 2008 final. Because of five men in the midfield, Russia’s defense proved very strong and only conceding seven goals in qualifying round was in evidence of the strength of Russian defense. Igor Semshov and Konstantin Zyrianov are the effective holding midfielders. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Yuri Zhirkov, Vladimir Bystrov, Ivan Saenko and Dmitri Torbinskiy have the attacking approach in their game. Andrei Arshavin could play as a deep lying centre forward though he will miss the first two Euro 2008 games due to suspension. Pavel Pogrebnyak, Dmitri Sychev and Roman Pavlyuchenko are full of talent but lack consistency and it is expected that Guus Hiddink could bring young striker Renat Yanbaev, who is yet to win his first cap for national side.

Date	Competing Teams	Venue
10 June 2008 Tuesday	Russia vs Spain	Tivoli-Neu Stadion, Innsbruck
14 June 2008 Saturday	Russia vs Greece	EM Stadion Wals-Siezenheim, Salzburg
18 June 2008 Wednesday	Russia vs Sweden	Tivoli-Neu Stadion, Innsbruck

I think, Russia’s only problem lies in their attacking position, but if they can carry on their impressive performance that they showed during qualifying round, Russia could reach the next round from this group. Here, I am giving the full list of Russia’s 23 players of final squad for Euro 2008 from AFP:

Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeyev (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Gabulov (Perm), Vyacheslav Malafeyev (Zenit St Petersburg)

Defenders: Alexander Anyukov (Zenit St Petersburg), Alexei Berezutsy, Vasily Berezursky, Sergei Ignashevich (all CSKA Moscow), Denis Kolodin (Dynamo Moscow), Renat Yanbayev (Lokomotiv Moscow)

Midfielders: Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Dmitry Torbinsky (both Lokomotiv Moscow), Vladimir Bystrov (Spartak Moscow), Yury Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow), Konstantin Zyryanov, Roman Shirokov (both Zenit St Petersburg), Igor Semshov (Dynamo Moscow), Sergei Semak (Kazan)

Strikers: Roman Adamov (FC Moscow), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Spartak Moscow), Pavel Pogrebnyak, Andrei Arshavin (both Zenit St Petersburg), Dmitry Sychev (Lokomotiv Moscow), Ivan Saenko (Nuremberg)

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Soccernet

AFP

England vs Russia Preview: Euro 2008 Qualifier

For live score and updates of the England vs Russia match, follow this link:

England vs Russia Live Score and Updates

http://techblogbiz.blogspot.com/2007/09/england-vs-russia-live-score-and.html

England is going to play against Russia within less than 24 hours. The match is going to take place on 12 September England evening time. England and Russia both will want to win the match as a win in the match will help either of the team to go a long way in the qualification for Euro 2008. I am giving you the information you need to know about this match.

Group E Standing

Russia and England both are in Group E of qualifying round of Euro 2008. Croatia is now at the top of the group with 20 points from 8 matches. In fact, tomorrow, Croatia has an easy opponent to deal with Andorra vs. Croatia match. Russia is in the second place with 17 points and then there is England with 17 points from 8 matches. After that in Group E, there is Israel with 17 points from 9 matches. FYR Macedonia, Estonia and Andorra are in the bottom 3 places and they are out of any chance of qualifying for Euro 2008 finals. So, I don’t need to emphasize to the fact that England has to win tomorrow’s match. England is going to travel to Russia next month.

England Squad

It is interesting to see that England has not announced its final squad yet although there are less than 24 hours to go. There is some speculation that England will have the same squad that defeated Israel 3 days ago. The players of that squad are:

Robinson, Richards, Ferdinand, Terry, Ashley Cole, Wright-Phillips (Bentley 83), Gerrard (Neville 71), Barry, Joe Cole, Heskey (Johnson 71), Owen.

Subs Not Used: Brown, James, Downing, Defoe.

Now, there is speculation that some changes may happen for England. BBC reported:

McClaren was impressed with the way England beat Israel 3-0 on Saturday but said: "This is a tougher challenge.

"Russia play a different system. They have an excellent defensive record and will be difficult to break down.

"As much as I would like to keep the same shape, formation and personnel, we may have to tweak one or two things."

Russia Squad

I could find the final squad of Russia too for this match. However, I think that Russian coach will field the same side that defeated Macedonia a few days ago.

Live Radio Commentary

The match between England and Russia has become a crucial one for England. England has to win this match. The match is going to take place in the historical Wembley stadium. If you cannot go to the stadium then no problem. You can enjoy live commentary of the match in BBC Radio 5.

You can get more information about it in the following webpage:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/sport/commentaries.shtml

Live in ESPN TV Channel

You know that now, many important football matches are broadcast live in Asia. So, if you are in Asia and want to watch the match tomorrow live in TV then you should watch England vs Russia live in ESPN. This is what you can see in ESPN tomorrow:

EURO QUALIFIERS (ENGLAND) PRE-SHOW (SOCCER/FUTBOL)

England Vs Russia (L)

EURO QUALIFIERS (ENGLAND) (SOCCER/FUTBOL)

LONDON, ENGLAND England Vs Russia (L)

For details go to this webpage:

http://www.espnstar.com/tvtimes/search-tvtimes.cmd

Live Online Score

Russia has been showing some impressive performances in Euro 2008 qualifying competition. In the last World Cup in 2006, Russia could not make it to the final tournament. However, the current squad looks impressive. Russia has not lost any match yet after playing eight matches.

So, undoubtedly, England will have to face a hard challenge from Russia. Both England and Russia are in good form at this moment as both of the won their last match of Euro 2008 in style. England defeated Israel by 3-0 and Russia defeated FYR Macedonia by 3-0. So, it is needless to say that both teams are now determined to win in the upcoming match. Fans are also delighted to see their stars playing well in such an important match.

It is hard to predict anything when both competing teams are in good form. So, I just hope to see a competitive match. I think, all the football fans wish the same. Here, I am giving some links of the website that will provide England vs Russia match:

Sport Press

Live Football Scores

Live Score

Goalzz.com
Goal.com
Footie Scorez

Injury Problem for England

England will miss two of their key players in the upcoming match of Euro 2008 against Russia. Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard have been out of the final line up of England against Russia. Both the players also missed the recent match against Israel. The upcoming will have great importance for both England and Russia. Russia is ahead of England by one point and they are in second position of the point table. England stands in third position. With four matches remaining, England is now under huge pressure because any slip of can make them out of the Euro 2007.

John Terry about the Match

English and Russia are going to face each other in the qualifying match of Euro 2008 on 12 September. Russia is at this moment one point ahead of England and stands in the second position of the group E. There are four matches left for both England and Russia. So, the upcoming England vs Russia match will be very competitive. That is why, England captain John Terry has said that Russia will throw a big challenge for England and they need to overcome it.

As England is in the third position of point table, they are now under pressure. However, Terry is determined that his men will be bale to overcome the challenge as they did it in the past. England’s recent performance is impressive. England defeated Israel by 3-0 recently.

Revenge of Guus Hiddink?

Guus Hiddink is one of the leading football coaches in the world. He has impressive track record. Guus Hiddink is currently the coach of Russian national football team. Russia is going to play against England on 12 September and the match will take place in England. So, England is the host team in the Euro 2008 match of England vs Russia. England is now in tough position and cannot afford to lose any more match if they want to qualify for Euro 2008 Football. Guus Hiddink is keen to see Russia trounce England convincingly. He has personal reasons for it.

Last year, when the position of England coach became vacant, Guus Hiddink was eager to get selected. However, he was not eager to give any interview for this position and felt that his track record was enough. FA Officials did not agree to this matter and Guus Hiddink was not selected. Naturally, Guus Hiddink got annoyed with this matter and he is now eager to see Russia defeating England convincing in the match of 12 September 2007.

Who will win?

This is a very tough question. I think that England will have slight edge over Russia despite the fact that England is suffering from injury problem. I think that England is a different team in their own home ground. England played very well against Germany last month. So, I think that either the match will be a draw or England will win it.

What is your idea about the match? Share your ideas in the comment section.

England vs Russia 2008: Live Commentary in BBC Radio 5

For live score and updates of the England vs Russia match, follow this link:

England vs Russia Live Score and Updates

http://techblogbiz.blogspot.com/2007/09/england-vs-russia-live-score-and.html

The match between England and Russia has become a crucial one for England. England has to win this match. The match is going to take place in the historical Wembley stadium. If you cannot go to the stadium then no problem. You can enjoy live commentary of the match in BBC Radio 5.

You can get more information about it in the following webpage:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/sport/commentaries.shtml

The modern age has brought a lot of options for the football fans. You can watch the match live in TV from many parts of the world. You can also listen to radio commentary. You can also get live score from internet.

England vs Russia Euro 2008: Live in Star Sports Channel

For live score and updates of the England vs Russia match, follow this link:

England vs Russia Live Score and Updates

http://techblogbiz.blogspot.com/2007/09/england-vs-russia-live-score-and.html

Tomorrow, England is going to play in a crucial match of Euro 2008 qualifying round. England cannot afford to lose this match. On the other hand, Russian media has now put a lot of pressure on the Russian coach and football team for a win. English team is suffering from injuries of some important players.

You know that now, many important football matches are broadcast live in Asia. So, if you are in Asia and want to watch the match tomorrow live in TV then you should watch England vs Russia live in ESPN. This is what you can see in Star Sports India tomorrow:

EURO QUALIFIERS (ENGLAND) PRE-SHOW (SOCCER/FUTBOL)

England Vs Russia (L)

EURO QUALIFIERS (ENGLAND) (SOCCER/FUTBOL)

LONDON, ENGLAND England Vs Russia (L)

About timing of the match, I should tell you something. Actually, the match is going to take place in evening time of 12 September (Wednesday) according to England time. However, in most parts of Asia, it will take place in midnight or early hours of 13 September.

I am sorry that earlier I wrote that ESPN will show the match. It is not correct. ACtually, Star Sports will boradcast the match.

For details go to this webpage:

http://www.espnstar.com/tvtimes/search-tvtimes.cmd

England vs Russia Euro 2008: Revenge of Guus Hiddink

For live score and updates of the England vs Russia match, follow this link:

England vs Russia Live Score and Updates

http://techblogbiz.blogspot.com/2007/09/england-vs-russia-live-score-and.html

Guus Hiddink is one of the leading football coaches in the world. He has impressive track record. Guus Hiddink is currently the coach of Russian national football team. Russia is going to play against England on 12 September and the match will take place in England. So, England is the host team in the Euro 2008 match of England vs Russia. England is now in tough position and cannot afford to lose any more match if they want to qualify for Euro 2008 Football. Guus Hiddink is keen to see Russia trounce England convincingly. He has personal reasons for it.

Last year, when the position of England coach became vacant, Guus Hiddink was eager to get selected. However, he was not eager to give any interview for this position and felt that his track record was enough. FA Officials did not agree to this matter and Guus Hiddink was not selected. Naturally, Guus Hiddink got annoyed with this matter and he is now eager to see Russia defeating England convincing in the match of 12 September 2007.

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Russia will deliver killer blow to England hopes, vows Hiddink