Russia
The hosts go into the tournament in wretched form and it is difficult to see where they will get enough points from to reach the knockout stages.
While goalkeeper and captain Igor Akinfeev is capable of outstanding displays he is also prone to a catastrophic error now and again and you sense he will have to be in superhuman form for Russia to prosper.
The veteran Berezutski brothers have finally retired from the international stage leaving fellow veteran centre back Sergei Ignashevich to sure up a creaking backline.
The 120 cap stalwart is now 38 and a long-term injury to Georgi Dzhikiya has left Russia alarmingly short at the back.
A lack of creativity in the middle and no real goal scorers mean that across the park, Russia look too light on talent to worry anybody. It is a shame that they are hosting the World Cup at a time where talent is so thin on the ground.
That said – you never know and the partisan support of a home crowd may well be enough to spur them on and a new hero announce himself.
A positive result in the opening game against Saudi Arabia will be crucial to their chances of progressing.
Strengths
They are the hosts – The host nation as a rule usually does well. Other than that there isn’t much else you can pin on them.
Weaknesses
They are the hosts – There are times when the pressure proves too great for the hosts.
1⃣ team 💪
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The Manager
Stanislav Cherchesov – The former goalkeeper replaced Leonid Slutsky in August 2016 having won the league and cup double in Poland with Legia Warsaw.
He played for his national team in both the 1994 and 2002 World Cup Finals. A fan of the high press, he has so far failed to implement the tactic to the national side successfully.
Player to watch
Aleksei Miranchuk – The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has the weight of a nation on his shoulders as Russia look for youth to blossom and help them through on home soil.
Together with twin brother Anton, Aleksei has been making a name for himself with Lokomotiv Moscow and he is likely to start behind a loan striker.
He will need to play to the best of his ability if his side are to have a chance.
What would success look like?
To most, a place in the last 16 would be a great achievement for this squad, but the weight of expectation on the hosts will likely mean a quarter-final will be the minimum demanded.
Prediction
Possibly scrape second place behind Uruguay from Egypt.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Gabulov (Club Brugge), Soslan Dzhanaev (Rubin Kazan), Andrey Lunev (Zenit St Petersburg).
Defenders: Vladimir Granat, Fedor Kudryashov (both Rubin Kazan), Ilya Kutepov (Spartak Moscow), Roman Neustadter (Fenerbahce), Konstantin Rausch (Dynamo Moscow), Andrey Semenov (Akhmat Grozny), Igor Smolnikov (Zenit St Petersburg), Mario Fernandes (CSKA Moscow), Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow).
Midfielders: Yuri Gazinskiy (Krasnodar), Alexsandr Golovin, Alan Dzagoev (both CSKA Moscow), Aleksandr Erokhin, Yuri Zhirkov, Daler Kuzyaev (all Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Zobnin, Alexsandr Samedov (both Spartak Moscow), Anton Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow), Aleksandr Tashaev (Dynamo Moscow), Denis Cheryshev (Villarreal).
Forwards: Artem Dzyuba (Arsenal Tula), Aleksey Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow), Fedor Smolov (Krasnodar), Fedor Chalov (CSKA Moscow).
