Although coach Guus Hiddink decided to cancel morning training, a vigorous evening session gave spectators an indication to Russia’s lineup ahead of their opening UEFA EURO 2008 fixture. 
Training match
The squad split into two teams at Russia’s base in Leogang and played a training match which seemed to pit a possible starting XI against other members of the group. Following the 45-minute game, which was played in very wet conditions, Igor Semshov explained that it had been an intense work-out despite the risks of picking up an injury on the slippery surface. "If you don’t commit, you are more likely to get injured," the FC Dinamo Moskva midfielder said. "The coaches have asked us to go slightly easier on each other, but football isn’t football without challenges and we should also work on practising these things in training." Despite the weather, Semshov insisted it made a nice change. "To be honest, it’s better without the rain but I don’t mind it this way – the natural smell is better than the pollution created by Moscow’s cars."

Sour note
The only sour note of the training session was when Pavel Pogrebnyak, set to rejoin the group despite his meniscus tear, took to the pitch only to limp back off soon after. The striker returned to the hotel straight away after experiencing more pain with the problem. However, Semshov said the squad as a whole could not wait to face Spain on 10 June: "We’d like to start as soon as possible, because we’ve now been training for three weeks. There are always nerves before the start and those who haven’t got them probably don’t care enough."
Bilyaletdinov ambition
While Semshov is predicted to link up with Konstantin Zyryanov and Sergei Semak in central midfield, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, together with his FC Lokomotiv Moskva team-mate Dmitri Sychev, are likely to take up position just behind lone front man Roman Pavlyuchenko. Bilyaletdinov declined to confirm if tonight’s team selections meant anything significant, saying: "Ask the coach. It could be a sign of things to come, or maybe not." However, the 23-year-old did reveal the extent of his ambitions for the tournament by adding: "We hope to go home on 30 June."