[goldenHuddlestone]

What: Euro 2008 Qualifier
Who: Russia v England
When: Wednesday 17th October, 2007, kick-off 16:00 (GMT)
Where: Luzhniki stadium, Moscow, Russia

Not for the first time in the past decade England find themselves facing a decisive qualifier away from home at the end of a qualification campaign.

Famous goalless draws in Rome and Istanbul in 1997 and 2003 respectively secured that England achieved their goal and it may take another battling display if Steve McClaren’s side are to avoid becoming the first England side to miss out on a major championships since Graham Taylor’s ‘turnips’ in 1993.

The situation is relatively simple, a victory for England in Moscow will ensure their participation in Euro 2008, while defeat will leave their destiny out of their own hands. A draw could leave the Three Lions needing to draw with Croatia at Wembley next month to finish off the job.

If you have been on a desert island for the past few months it will be news to you that this qualifier will be taking place on a plastic pitch.

It seems that England have a ready made excuse for failure even though everyone in their camp has done their best to insist playing on a plastic pitch is not a valid reason to explain any slip-up.

Russia have clearly decided on playing at the Luzhniki Stadium in an attempt to unsettle England with a difficult playing condition. Not only that more of their players will be used to the pitch, but that they will ensure that match day conditions differ extremely to that of the training conditions.

It is all valid tactics, even if unsportsmanlike, but England have been doing their best to prepare themselves having spent time last week training on a replica pitch in England.

Tactical Decisions To Make Or Break

McClaren has done well to win back respect following a disastrous spell in March of this year that left him clinging to his job, but five successive qualification victories by a 3-0 scoreline will count for little if it all goes sour now.

The manager has some key decisions to make for this game and on this he will be judged. Who does he bring in for the injured Ashley Cole? Does Frank Lampard return to the fold? What formation does he play? And does he adopt a defensive or an attacking approach to proceedings?

Depending on where you read the result of this game could have huge ramifications. Defeat for Russia could see Guus Hiddink depart despite a shiny new contract with Chelsea his destination, while defeat for England could spell the end for McClaren, who could be replaced by former Blues boss Jose Mourinho.

QUOTES

England boss Steve McClaren:

"I'm delighted to be in this position where it's all on Russia to have to win the game. It'll be a very big test for everybody but I'm confident we've the players to go out and complete the job. We expect them to come storming at us for the first 20 minutes or so and we're determined to defend it right and to keep a clean sheet. You don't qualify for major tournaments in March or April, you qualify over the last few games in October or November and I always thought it would come down to this."

Russia boss Guus Hiddink:

"We are playing a very serious match against very serious opposition. England have really proved themselves in the last few games. We must control the game for the whole 90 minutes and to achieve that we need to find the balance between defence and attack. In short, we need to demonstrate all our best qualities and also hope that England won't play as well as in their recent games. I want my young players to play the kind of attacking football that complements their spirit."

TEAM NEWS

Hiddink has picked a virtually unchanged squad from the one that was beaten at ease by England at Wembley last month. The only change is that goalkeeper Vladimir Gabulov is now available after suspension, although first choice Igor Akinfeyev is still injured. Spartak Moscow’s Vladimir Bystrov is also unavailable due to a long-term injury.

Ashley Cole is missing after he suffered an ankle injury against Estonia and it seems that defender Joleen Lescott will take his place despite more natural left-backs Nicky Shorey and Phil Neville being in the squad. Shorey is deemed inexperienced, even though he has more match time in an England shirt than Lescott, while Neville’s versatility makes him an ideal bench player.

Captain John Terry was expected to make this match having sat out of the win against Estonia, but following a training setback he will miss out, so Sol Campbell will again partner Rio Ferdinand at the back.

There is plenty of debate as to whether or not room should be found for Frank Lampard, but the emergence of Gareth Barry in the centre of midfield has made the task difficult. Based on training sessions it seems that McClaren will stick with the same midfield and forward line as he did against Estonia, although Rooney will help pack the midfield.

SQUADS

Russia: Vyacheslav Malafeyev (Zenit St Petersburg), Vladimir Gabulov (Kuban Krasnodar), Anton Shunin (Dynamo Moscow); Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Alexei Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow), Vasily Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow), Alexander Anyukov (Zenit St Petersburg), Denis Kolodin (Dynamo Moscow); Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow), Igor Semshov (Dynamo Moscow), Dmitry Torbinsky (Spartak Moscow), Konstantin Zyryanov (Zenit St Petersburg); Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg), Pavel Pogrebnyak (Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Spartak Moscow), Dmitry Sychev (Lokomotiv Moscow), Alexander Kerzhakov (Sevilla), Ivan Saenko (Nuremberg).

England: Robinson (Tottenham), James (Portsmouth), Carson (Aston Villa), Richards (Manchester City), Brown (Manchester United), Ferdinand (Manchester United), Luke Young (Middlesbrough), Campbell (Portsmouth), Neville (Everton), Shorey (Reading), Lescott (Everton), Bentley (Blackburn), Gerrard (Liverpool), Lampard (Chelsea), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Barry (Aston Villa), Downing (Middlesbrough), Young (Aston Villa), Smith (Newcastle), Owen (Newcastle), Crouch (Liverpool), Defoe (Tottenham), Rooney (Manchester United).

KEY PLAYER

England - Paul Robinson

The spotlight was on the Tottenham goalkeeper against Estonia following his recent calamities and even despite having little to do he did not manage to reinstall confidence in his ability. He is almost certainly going to be busier on Wednesday night and his performance could either kick start or end his career at the top level. The pressure is on and on Robinson in particular.

PREDICTION

England have been winning well in the qualifiers, although the opposition has not tested them in any of the five 3-0 wins, but this will surely change on Wednesday. How England will react to the pressure will be decisive and the fact that they seem to have their confidence back is a massive plus. The opening stages will be vital, but should England manage to initially frustrate Russia they’ll be able to return home with at least a point, which should be enough. 1-1.