Shalimov steels Russia for Scotland tie

Russia coach Igor Shalimov has named the squad for the UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ play-off matches against Scotland on 26 and 30 October.

Slashchinina out
Back-up goalkeeper Kristina Slashchinina is injured, so her WFC Rossiyanka team-mate Galina Vazhnova has been called up while, similarly, right-back Elena Suslova has replaced another Zvezda-2005 player, Maria Dyatchkova. Shalimov, whose team travel to Edinburgh for the first leg, said: "On 21 October we'll begin our training camp in Krasnoarmeysk, and three days later we'll fly to Scotland. Three years ago we beat Scotland 6-0, but our opponents have really improved since then. We can't even think about such a result now. Scotland are a well-organsed team, who use a 4-4-2 system. There's no favourites in this tie."

Russia squad
Goalkeepers: Elvira Todua (WFC SKA-Rostov), Elena Kochneva (FC ShVSM Izmaylovo Moskva), Galina Vajnova (WFC Rossiyanka).

Defenders: Ksenia Tsybutovich (WFC Rossiyanka), Anna Kozhnikova (WFC Rossiyanka), Natalia Pertseva (WFC Rossiyanka), Elena Suslova (Zvezda-2005), Olga Sergaeva (Zvezda-2005), Olga Poriadina (WFC Rossiyanka), Oksana Shmachkova (WFC Rossiyanka).

Midfielders: Tatiana Skotnikova (WFC Rossiyanka), Valentina Savchenkova (Zvezda-2005), Nadezhda Kharchenko (WFC Rossiyanka), Elena Morozova (WFC Rossiyanka), Elena Fomina (FC ShVSM Izmaylovo Moskva), Ekaterina Sochneva (FC ShVSM Izmaylovo Moskva), Olesya Kurochkina (Zvezda-2005).

Forwards: Olga Letyushova (WFC SKA-Rostov), Natalia Mokshanova (WFC Rossiyanka), Olga Petrova (WFC Rossiyanka), Natalia Barbashina (Zvezda-2005).