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Russia v Spain - Euro 2008 Preview Group D | Help spread the word: Share on Facebook 
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The perennial under-achievers Spain will take on the might of the Russian red army for the opening match of Group D. Kai Crawshaw previews the Russian's opening game in Euro 2008Spain v Russia Preview The perennial under-achievers Spain will take on the might of the Russian red army for the opening match of Group D. Russian Coach Guus Hiddink looks to nullify the attacking flair of Spain by adopting a 4 man back line, using Yuri Zhirkov as a make-shift left back. The new style formation has been developed and used specifically to stop the speed and fluidity of the Spanish front line, but has only been used in recent friendlies to limited success. Both Torres and David Villa enter the tournament in top form and with the vision and skill of Cesc Fabregas, this could be the year when Spain lives up to their pre-tournament hype. Fernando Torres and Villa both have the skill and ambition to finish the Euro’s as Golden Boot winner, but will have to strike quickly to keep up with German Lucas Podolski who already has two to his name. Dmitri Sychev will also have dreams of walking away with the coveted top goal scorer award; he was a good record for his country and will be the main threat for the Russians, especially without Andrei Arshavin who will miss both the Spain and the crucial Greece game. Both Spain and Russia will see themselves qualifying from this group but a loss for either side will not help their chances with Sweden lurking in the shadows to pounce if either team slips up. The lack of Arshavin and the new formation may just be too much for the Russians, the best they can hope for is for a draw. Russian ‘keeper Akinfeev has never conceded more than one goal in a competitive match but Spain could put an end to that run. Kai Crawshaw Fancy writing for LiveFootball? Click here to find out more. |