Yartsev shows his steel

Coach defiant
The 35-year-old RC Celta de Vigo midfield player has been sent home after criticising the team in the Spanish press. However, the coach dismissed any idea that, with victory against the hosts paramount after Saturday's 1-0 defeat by Spain, Mostovoi would be missed.

Previous form
"We have played and won without Mostovoi before," Yartsev told euro2004.com. "He did not feature in our [play-off] win against Wales either, so do not pay too much attention to his absence. For some reason people believe he is the biggest star in our team. I don't believe that.

Other stars
"The mood in the squad is good, and the players took this decision the right way. Mostovoi got overconfident and rates himself too highly. He also doubted our chances in the group and our ability. You cannot play at a major tournament in such a mood. Mostovoi is not a star. [Aleksei] Smertin and [Dmitri] Alenichev are our stars."

Defensive options
Keen to move on from talking about Mostovoi, Yartsev also insisted that the suspension of defender Roman Sharonov, sent off for two yellow cards against Spain, would not leave him short of options. "We still have [Aleksandr] Anyukov and [Aleksei] Bugayev and we will be evaluating their form," he said.

Figo warning
He admitted that Portugal, themselves coming off a defeat against Greece, would be a tough proposition at Lisbon's Estádio da Luz. "We will face strong and sore opponents, who just happen to be the hosts. You cannot be too careful in such conditions. Our tactics will largely depend on the Portuguese tactics, but I can say that [Luís] Figo will get some special treatment.

'Avoid nerves'
"The most important goal for us is to avoid nerves and not to be afraid," he added, going on to suggest that FC Lokomotiv Moskva playmaker Dmitri Loskov, and some of his younger squad members could play a key part.

Portuguese pressure
Yartsev concluded: "If Portugal consider this a make-or-break occasion, they will go for all-out attack. It would be stupid to believe they will sit back in defence waiting for us to come at them. Doubtless, they will have more possession, while we will rely on counterattacks."