Football takes the world’s center stage today, as the 2018 World Cup kicks off with a matchup between the host Russia and Saudi Arabia.
After an opening ceremony that will include Robbie Williams, Russian soprano Aida Garifullina and Brazilian legend Ronaldo, the lowest-ranked teams in the tournament, Russia and Saudi Arabia, will take the field at Luzhniki Stadium at 17:00 o’clock in Moscow. While Stanislav Cherchesov’s team will be looking to avoid the embarrassment of being the second World Cup host to fail to get past the group stage after South Africa in 2010, the Saudi Arabians will try to capitalize on a soft group and qualify for the Round of 16 for the first time since 1994.
Cherchesov has been at the helm of Russia’s national team since 2016. The 54-year-old former goalkeeper inherited an invidious situation and a football squad in disarray. He has tried to make do with what he’s got, but unfortunate injuries have made his job even more complicated than it already is. The only true striker Aleksander Kokorin suffered a serious knee injury back in March, while the center back duo of Georgy Dzhikiya and Viktor Vasin, who were supposed to replace the aging Berezutski brothers, also got hurt and will miss the tournament as well.
While former Russia and Manchester United player Andrei Kanchelskis is far from optimistic about his country’s World Cup prospects:
“We are worried because it is the worst Russian team I have seen in my life”,
Zenit Saint Petersburg forward Artem Dzyuba wants to stay positive:
“We’re not favourites to win the World Cup, but we want to get out of the group and we’re playing at home. We want to prove to everyone, and most of all to ourselves, that we can play football, so that the country can be proud of us.”
CSKA Moscow’s Alexander Golovin and Lokomotiv Moscow’s Alexei Miranchuk are two youngsters that will be counted upon the most to show Russia does have promise sitting in the wings.
After missing the last two editions, Saudi Arabia is back for its first World Cup experience in 12 years. The Asian nation will be led by former Chile boss Juan Antonio Pizzi, who took over after Dutchman Bert van Marwijk stepped down following qualification. The Green Falcons have won three of the nine friendlies under Pizzi’s guidance, which still beats Russia’s seven-match winless streak.
This Saudi Arabian squad does not have the makings of a team that can cause surprises. Even in the weakiest group in World History, they are still considered to be the outsiders.
Russia and Saudi Arabia’s only previous encounter was a friendly match in 1993 that the Saudis won 4-2 at home. Sbornaya is winless in its last five World Cup games (2 draws and 3 losses). In fact, Russia has only two victories at the World Cup since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
If there’s one opponent the Russian Federation would be considered the favorite against, it is Saudi Arabia. This opening encounter is, by all intents and purposes, a must-win for the host. Saudi Arabia has kept only one clean sheet in its 13 World Cup games, so at least one goal in Al Muaiouf’s net should be expected. After all the work that was put in to organize this event, it’s hard to imagine Russia allowing a bad start to the tournament.
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