Translated material
Combat shortage
Georgy Yartsev was again left without key players
Before two matches of the qualifying round for the 2006 World Cup, the Russian team suffers one loss after another. If this continues, then the coach of the national team, Georgy Yartsev, will not have enough players for a full application for the game with Liechtenstein, which will take place tomorrow in Vaduz.Initially, it was clear that Dmitry Alenichev, who had been called up to the training camp, would not be able to take part in the upcoming matches due to injury. The Spartak captain did not even go with the team to Switzerland, where Yartsev’s team is preparing for meetings with Liechtenstein and Estonia. But the injured Lokomotiv defender Vadim Evseev arrived, although it is clear that he will not be able to play in the next match. It is not known whether it makes sense for him to take to the field in Estonia - after all, Evseev missed part of the pre-season training and has not played a single match this year.
Later it became known that two more national team players had health problems - Zenit forward Alexander Kerzhakov and CSKA midfielder Yuri Zhirkov. Both are now training at the training camp according to a light program, not taking part in bilateral games. Also, Alexey Bugaev left the team with a vague explanation “for family reasons.”
And then the team suffered another blow. Alexey Smertin fell ill with tonsillitis. The Chelsea player's temperature has risen to 39 degrees, and the team's doctors claim that even if Smertin manages to recover by Saturday, his appearance on the field is practically ruled out. By the way, this is not the first time that Smertin has been called up to the national team, and then it suddenly turns out that he will not be able to play.
Against this background, there is only one good news. Dmitry Loskov finally came to Switzerland. Let us remember that he was unable to fly with the team due to the death of his father. But later he joined the national team. Thus, Yartsev now has 21 players at his disposal, four of whom may be incapacitated. If we remember that this number also includes two goalkeepers, it becomes clear that Yartsev has too few options to determine the starting lineup. Suffice it to say that the national team now actually has only one defensive midfielder - Evgeniy Aldonin. Therefore, it is possible that after the match with Liechtenstein the national team will need reinforcements. In turn, the hosts of the upcoming match lost only one of their key players. Due to disqualification, defender Martin Stocklaz, captain of the country's only professional club Vaduz, which plays in the second division of the Swiss championship, will not be able to take part in the meeting.
On Saturday there will also be another match in Group 3, where the Russians are playing. The Estonia team will host the Slovak team, which is currently in second place. But if the Slovaks win this match, they will catch up with the Portuguese who are leading. But the real leadership in our group will be played out only on Wednesday, when the national teams of Slovakia and Portugal meet each other. The European vice-champions have already suffered one loss. Midfielder Armando Petit suffered a rib injury. However, Portuguese coach Luiz Philippe Scolari, unlike Yartsev, nevertheless decided to find a replacement for the injured player, and Manuel Fernandez received an invitation to the national team.
Group 3
| 1. Portugal | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 20--3 | 13 |
| 2. Slovakia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15--3 | 10 |
| 3. Russia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10--8 | 7 |
| 4. Latvia | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10--12 | 7 |
| 5. Estonia | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8--11 | 7 |
| 6. Liechtenstein | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8--14 | 4 |
| 7. Luxembourg | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4--24 | 0 |