Hosts Russia kick off the Confederations Cup against New Zealand in Saint Petersburg today, targeting victory in their opening match to set the tone for a successful tournament.
But Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov, appointed after the country’s disastrous Euro 2016 campaign, predicts a tricky encounter as he oversees his first competitive match in charge.
The former Russian international goalkeeper has set his squad the ambitious task of winning the Confed Cup, a tournament that serves as a tune-up for next year’s World Cup.
“We’re ready to face a likeable New Zealand team but we expect a difficult match (on Saturday),” he told reporters yesterday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the opener along with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino at Saint Petersburg’s purpose-built World Cup 68,000-seater stadium.
“For us it’s a privilege and honour to represent our country. Our team welcomes Russia’s president watching our matches.
“And we naturally want to achieve better results than our team showed recently.”
It will be the first meeting between Russia and New Zealand, the champions of Oceania, in the post-Soviet era.
The USSR beat New Zealand 3-0 at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
Organisers have laid fresh turf at the Krestovsky Stadium to allay fears over the condition of the pitch that prompted Zenit to shift their final league match to their former ground.
Russia have produced mixed results since Cherchesov’s arrival with three wins, three draws and three defeats.

‘Full of optimism’