The ignominy of becoming only the second World Cup host nation – after South Africa in 2010 – to fail to progress from their group is staring Russia in the face.
Apart from home advantage and a reasonably favourable draw, there is not much going for Stanislav Cherchesov’s side. They are officially the lowest-ranked team at the tournament (below even Saudi Arabia, their opponents in the Opening Match), they have failed to win any of their last seven friendlies (including six on home soil), made early departures from the last four tournaments (including the 2017 Confederations Cup, which they hosted), are badly hit with injuries, and remain desperately short of top-class players.
Perhaps Russia will surprise us, actually win a couple of matches and get through to the round of 16. That would probably be sufficient for widespread satisfaction among the home support. But, given a fair wind, a bit of benevolence from officialdom and a sudden surge of positivity, you just never know…
The 23 players tasked with making a nation proud have had their international careers put under the microscope by yours truly. The results of my research can be found below.
I have compiled similar information on the other 13 European teams in the build-up to the Big Kick-off on Thursday, June 14. This is the last of my surveys. All the others can be found on the site.
Here is the Russia squad with the players’ current club, caps and goals:
Goalkeepers
Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow, 106/0), Vladimir Gabulov (Club Brugge, 10/0), Andrei Lunev (Zenit, 3/0)
Defenders
Mario Fernandes (CSKA Moscow, 5/0), Vladimir Granat (Rubin, 12/1), Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow, 122/8), Fedor Kudryashov (Rubin, 19/0), Ilya Kutepov (Spartak Moscow, 7/0), Andrei Semenov (Akhmat Grozny, 6/0), Igor Smolnikov (Zenit, 27/0)
Midfielders
Denis Cheryshev (Villarreal, 11/0), Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow, 57/9), Aleksandr Erokhin (Zenit, 17/0), Yuri Gazinski (Krasnodar, 6/0), Aleksandr Golovin (CSKA Moscow, 19/2), Daler Kuzyaev (Zenit, 6/0), Anton Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow, 6/0), Aleksandr Samedov (Spartak Moscow, 48/7), Yuri Zhirkov (Zenit, 84/2), Roman Zobnin (Spartak Moscow, 12/0)
Forwards
Artem Dzyuba (Zenit, 23/11), Aleksei Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow, 18/4), Fedor Smolov (Krasnodar, 32/12)
The total number of international caps gained by the 23 players is 656. The number of caps gained in competitive fixtures (i.e. World Cup, Euro and Confederations Cup matches) is 297. The number of caps gained at final tournaments is 78. The number of caps gained at the World Cup finals is 13.
The total number of international goals scored by the 23 players is 56. The number of goals scored in competitive fixtures is 27. The number of goals scored at final tournaments is 5. The number of goals scored at the World Cup finals is 0.
The number of players in the squad appearing at their first final tournament is 7. The number of players appearing at their first World Cup is 16.
There are 11 survivors from the 2017 Confederations Cup squad: Akinfeev, Gabulov, Kudryashov, Kutepov, Smolnikov, Erokhin, Golovin, Samedov, Zhirkov, Aleksei Miranchuk and Smolov.
There are 7 survivors from the Euro 2016 squad: Akinfeev, Ignashevich, Smolnikov, Golovin, Samedov, Dzyuba and Smolov.
There are 7 survivors from the 2014 World Cup squad: Akinfeev, Granat, Ignashevich, Semenov, Dzagoev, Samedov and Zhirkov.
There are 5 survivors from the Euro 2012 squad: Akinfeev, Granat, Ignashevich, Dzagoev and Zhirkov.
There are 4 survivors from the Euro 2008 squad: Akinfeev, Gabulov, Ignashevich and Zhirkov.
There is 1 survivor from the Euro 2004 squad: Akinfeev.
Akinfeev will be appearing in a seventh final tournament (but only a second World Cup). It is a fifth tournament (and also a second World Cup) for Ignashevich and Zhirkov.
Akinfeev has played the most final tournament matches: 14. Close behind are Ignashevich on 13 and Zhirkov on 12 – the only other two squad members on double figures.
Akinfeev has lost half of his final tournament games. He was an unused squad member at Euro 2004 and Euro 2012 but started every match at the other four tournaments he has attended.
Eight of the 23 players have never appeared in a competitive international: Lunev, Fernandes, Kutepov, Semenov, Gazinski, Kuzyaev, Zobnin and Anton Miranchuk.
Only nine of the 23 players have appeared in a World Cup fixture. Three of those have only taken part in one, and each of them – Cheryshev, Dzyuba and Smolov – suffered defeat.
Four players have appeared in over 25 competitive internationals. Their records are as follows:
Ignashevich – Pld 79 W43 D19 L17 (of which at final tournaments Pld 13 W4 D4 L5)
Akinfeev – Pld 64 W35 D14 L15 (Pld 14 W4 D3 L7)
Zhirkov – Pld 45 W25 D7 L13 (Pld 12 W5 D2 L5)
Dzagoev – Pld 30 W17 D7 L6 (Pld 6 W1 D3 L2)
Granat is the only player in the squad yet to be defeated in a competitive international (W2 D2). The two wins came in his only two World Cup fixtures.
Aleksei Miranchuk was on the winning side in his only final tournament match – against New Zealand at the 2017 Confederations Cup..
Dzagoev and Dzyuba are the squad’s leading scorers in competitive internationals, with eight goals apiece, two more than Ignashevich.
Samedov has the most World Cup goals among the 23-man party with two. Only one other player in the squad has scored in the competition – Ignashevich. No player has scored at the World Cup finals.
Dzagoev’s three competitive international goals all came at Euro 2012, where he was the competition’s joint leading scorer. No other player in the squad has scored at the Euro finals.
Samedov is the only squad member to have scored a competitive international goal in a defeat. The two from Smolov have both come in victories, while seven of the eight scored by both Dzagoev and Dzyuba have come in wins, the other in a draw.
Zhirkov won his 50th international cap in a pre-Euro 2012 friendly against Group A rivals Uruguay. He and Ignashevich are the only survivors in the squad from that 1-1 draw in Moscow.
No squad member has ever faced Saudi Arabia or Egypt.
All but two of the 23 players are home-based, the exceptions being Gabulov, who plays in Belgium, and Cheryshev, who operates in Spain.
Seven Russian Premier League clubs are represented in the squad, with St Petersburg side Zenit providing the largest contingent of players – six – followed by CSKA Moscow on five and Spartak Moscow on three. There are just two players from 2017/18 champions Lokomotiv Moscow – the Miranchuk twins Anton and Aleksei.
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