Russia banking on safe options

Aleksandr Kerzhakov, Vladimir Bystrov, Vyacheslav Malafeev and Viktor Budyansky have returned to the Russia squad for the crucial UEFA EURO 2008™ meetings with F.Y.R. Macedonia and England.

Strong squad
Coach Guus Hiddink has stuck with tried and tested options for the home game against F.Y.R. Macedonia on 8 September and the trip to Wembley four days later, with Sergei Ignashevich being pardoned for turning up late to training for the recent friendly game against Poland and Malafeev, Bystrov, Kerzhakov and Budyansky restored to the ranks. With quality defenders at a premium, Hiddink has put PFC CSKA Moskva's Ivan Taranov on stand-by. The 21-year-old can join up with the first team after the Under-21 side's game against Poland on 7 September. Still recovering from a serious knee injury, goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev is the only significant absentee. Russia are third in Group E, two points adrift of joint leaders Croatia and Israel, with a game in hand on the latter.

Russia squad
Goalkeepers: Vyacheslav Malafeev (FC Zenit St. Petersburg), Anton Shunin (FC Dinamo Moskva), Vladimir Gabulov (FC Kuban Krasnodar).

Defenders: Sergei Ignashevich (PFC CSKA Moskva), Aleksei Berezutski (PFC CSKA Moskva), Vasili Berezutski (PFC CSKA Moskva), Denis Kolodin (FC Dinamo Moskva), Aleksandr Anyukov (FC Zenit St Petersburg).

Midfielders: Yuri Zhirkov (PFC CSKA Moskva), Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (FC Lokomotiv Moskva), Igor Semshov (FC Dinamo Moskva), Konstantin Zyrianov (FC Zenit St. Petersburg), Viktor Budyanski (Udinese Calcio), Dmitri Torbinskiy (FC Spartak Moskva), Vladimir Bystrov (FC Spartak Moskva), Roman Vorobyov (FC Khimki).

Forwards: Ivan Saenko (1. FC Nürnberg), Andrei Arshavin (FC Zenit St. Petersburg), Pavel Pogrebnyak (FC Zenit St. Petersburg), Aleksandr Kerzhakov (Sevilla FC), Dmitri Sychev (FC Lokomotiv Moskva), Roman Pavlyuchenko (FC Spartak Moskva).