England v Russia: Euro 2016 Match Preview

11 June 2016 09:35

Under Roy Hodgson the Three Lions went ten for ten in qualifying Group E conceding just three goals along the way.

Russia, coached by Leonid Slutsky, finished as runners-up in Group G, eight points behind winners Austria, but secured second spot ahead of Sweden thanks to a final win over Montenegro.

Under Fabio Capello Russia looked set to miss out on the tournament, but Slutsky took over last summer and was able to turn things around for the Russians.

Teams

Roy Hodgson has gone for a mix of youth with sprinkles of experience, with skipper Wayne Rooney leading the way in that regard.

It may be the younger generation who have the biggest impact with the likes of strike duo Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy, along with 20-year-old Dele Alli all newcomers on this stage.

The biggest gamble from Hodgson may be at the back, where just three centre backs were included, leaving defensive midfielder Eric Dier as cover should injury strike.

For Russia both playmaker Alan Dzagoev and this week fellow midfielder Ivan Denisov have been ruled out through injury, leaving huge gaps to fill.

They also lost former Chelsea full-back Yuri Zhirkov to injury ahead of the tournament.

Ones to Watch

England: Chris Smalling

While Manchester United endured a difficult season, centre back Smalling was one of the bright spots with an impressive campaign at the heart of the defence.

He will be expected to do the same for England, who are unusually thin at the back, in sharp contrast to previous major tournaments.

And despite a demanding season with United, Smalling believes he is ready to take on the load, having recovered from a knee problem picked up in training earlier in the week.

"On the whole we're all feeling pretty fresh, and just excited to be part of such a big occasion,” he said.

"I think we're all of that mindset of 'this is our chance' and it's time to go seize it.

"We have many young players who are coming into a lot of form throughout this season and hopefully it ends in a very spectacular way.

"We're all looking forward to it. I know I am."

Russia: Artem Dzyuba

Russia will need striker Artem Dzyuba to fire if they are to spring a surprise and beat England in the opener.

The imposing 27-year-old has been the main focus for England this week, and having missed out on the final squads in both 2012 and 2014, is eager to take his chance this time around.

He explained: "For me they were two massive blows (missing out on those squads), and of course it really hurt.

"The team didn't do well on both occasions and I suppose it was meant to be that I wouldn't participate. I don't know how things would have gone had I been in the squad, but it definitely hurt me that I wasn't involved.

"Everyone was saying that I would be in the squad, but everything changed."

Head to head record

England have met Russia just twice previously, with both teams winning on home soil.

The encounters came during the qualifying for the 2008 European Championships.

England won 3-0 at home but were crucially beaten 2-1 in Moscow, and after losing their final game against Croatia, it was Russia who pipped them to the second qualifying spot in the group.

Did you know?

Leonid Slutsky is the youngest manager or head coach at Euro 2016, aged 45. Roy Hodgson, 68, is the oldest manager in the competition.

Venue: Stade Velodrome, Marseille

Date: Saturday June 11

Kick-off: 21:00 local (20:00 BST)

Source: Sportsbeat