Russia have announced their squad for the upcoming European Championships in France, and is made up of almost completely home-based players.

Head coach Leonid Slutsky has selected one player from outside the Russian league and that is Schallke’s defender Roman Neustadter.

Defender Sergei Ignashevich is Russia’s most capped player going to the tournament with 102 caps and will be set to go up against England in the opening group game.

Alan Dzagoev will be a big miss for the side, he played an influential role in qualifying (Photo: Getty Images)
Alan Dzagoev will be a big miss for the side, he played an influential role in qualifying (Photo: Getty Images)

Striker misses out with injury

One bit of injury concern for the Russians is that playmaker Alan Dzagoev, who starred in the 2014 World Cup, misses out on the 23-man quad after breaking a bone in his foot.

Vastly experienced keeper Igor Akinfeez and forward Artem Dzyuba, who both played their part in helping Russia qualify for the Euro’s, are also in Slutsky’s squad.

Zenit St. Petersburg’s Aleksandr Kokorin and Krasnodar’s Fedor Smolov complete the forward line, while the other positions are packed full of talent, which could cause one or two surprises in Group B.

Russia begin their tournament on June 11 in Marseille and will be looking to progress through to the knockout stages, with Wales being their final game in the group on June 20.

Igor Akinfeev is Russia's Mr Reliable, he will favour himself against any team (Photo: Getty Images)
Igor Akinfeev is Russia's Mr Reliable, he will favour himself against any team (Photo: Getty Images)

Expectations for Slutsky’s side

Fabio Capello left his position as manager last July and things didn’t look great until Slutsky took over the reigns, and now he has raised the country’s expectations.

The injury to Dzagoev is a big one, and the player replacing him in Russia’s starting line-up has big boots to fill to say the least, but can this group of players do their nation proud?

Russian sport is in crisis at the moment, just two years before they are set to host the World Cup, with their athletics programme being accused of state-sponsored doping.

Olympic champions have been stripped of their medals and banned, and the upcoming Olympics in Rio will see many of those athletes not being able to participate.

Maria Sharapova tested positive for banned substance meldonium back in March, but the Russian squad will look to redeem their dignity with success on the field.

The squad

Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev, Yuri Logygin, Guilherme;

Defenders: Aleksei Berezutski, Vasili Berezutski, Sergei Ignashevich, Dmitri Kombarov, Roman Neustadter, Georgi Schennikov, Roman Shishkin, Igor Smolnikov;

Midfielders: Igor Denisov, Dmitri Torbinski, Aleksandr Golovin, Denis Glushakov, Oleg Ivanov, Pavel Mamaev, Aleksandr Samedov, Oleg Shatov, Roman Shirokov;

Forwards: Artem Dzyuba, Aleksandr Kokorin, Fedor Smolov

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About the author
Andrew McDonnell
Sports writer based in the North-East of England, safe to say I have found my niche in sports writing and I strive to succeed with everything I do, including Vavel, both in the UK and USA. First official Writer of the week for the USA office too. Cover Manchester United, Watford, Cricket, MLS and NFL.