English Minnows Up Against Russian Stars

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While Russia's stars gear up for Euro 2012 in Poland, some of the unlucky ones who missed out have the dubious consolation of playing a team of English part-timers in a Moscow mismatch Tuesday.

While Russia's stars gear up for Euro 2012 in Poland, some of the unlucky ones who missed out have the dubious consolation of playing a team of English part-timers in a Moscow mismatch Tuesday.

Russia's full under-21 squad, replete with stars like Zenit winger Maxim Kanunnikov, Lokomotiv Moscow's Taras Burlak and Georgi Shchennikov of CSKA Moscow, are taking on an England C team composed of players from non-league clubs such as Vauxhall Motors and Kidderminster Harriers.

The gulf in class is illustrated best by the fact that all three Russians were candidates for Dick Advocaat's 23-man squad for Euro 2012, and Kanunnikov and Shchennikov played Champions League football this year.

Dynamo Moscow’s 18,600-capacity Arena Khimki will host the game, something of a step up from Fleetwood Town’s 2,500-seater Highbury Park, where England C played their last home game.

Despite the mismatch, FA spokesman Matt Phillips told R-Sport that the underdogs would play to win after encouraging results when Portugal and Belgium pulled the same maneuver in the past in the International Challenge Trophy, in which countries usually field young part-timers.

“When we’ve played the other under-21 squads, we’ve lost by the narrowest of margins, it was 1-0 both times," he said Monday.

The David-and-Goliath encounter will be shown on Rossiya-2, Russia’s premier sports channel, which reaches the majority of Russia’s population of 140 million people.

“They’re going to be playing on national TV, so that’s great exposure for our guys.”

One advert for the match bills it simply as a game between the two countries’ “youth national sides.”

When asked Sunday whether Russian fans could be left disappointed after expecting to see future England stars, Russian Football Union spokesperson Irina Baranova said “I know.”

Russia under-21 coach Nikolai Pisarev made the call to put out the full professional under-21 squad, she said.

“Our head coach ... decided that it will be very good practice for them, and because our team will play [a European championship] qualifying match against Albania on June 12,” she said.

Pisarev is a former striker for Spartak Moscow and a possible contender to succeed Dick Advocaat as Russia coach after Euro 2012, while England C coach Paul Fairclough is best known for a spell in charge of League Two side Barnet.

 

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