There is no room for complacency, cautions Dmitri Khokhlov, half-back of the Moscow club Lokomotiv. "Liechtenstein and Estonia are probably not the strongest teams out there, but it'll be hard to beat them if you are playing in a slap-dash manner," he said. Russians are determined to win, and will not let their confidence be undermined by the thought of a possible defeat.
Khokhlov acknowledges that he and his teammates still do not know much about Estonia and Liechtenstein, but says there is enough time ahead to find out all about their opponents' strengths and weaknesses and to prepare themselves accordingly. He noted that even the weakest of national soccer teams had raised their level significantly in recent years.
The Lokomotiv half-back says he is absolutely confident the Russian squad will qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. But to make it there, Russia will have to beat Slovakia and Portugal, believed to be much stronger opponents than Liechtenstein and Estonia.
Russia play Liechtenstein and Estonia on March 26 and 30, respectively. Both matches are to be held on the opponents' turf.
