ENGLAND – Peter Redding, (PR Manager, Dubai)
The wait is over, the talking and discussions done, it’s finally game time at another major championship for England. All the fans have tried hard to forget the 2014 World Cup and hopefully the players will have put it out of their minds now too.
All of the the talk ahead of the game is about whether or not Roy Hodgson will use Jamie Vardy but it is looking unlikely as they have been preparing with a formation that doesn’t include the pacy Leicester forward. It means that Wayne Rooney should join Harry Kane up front, at least I hope it does – otherwise Roy is going one up top. Don’t do it Roy!
Elsewhere the team seems pretty set and will be feeling confident of opening with a win. England are among the youngest teams at Euro 2016 and Russia are among the oldest, so let’s hope our exuberance shines through against a side packed with veterans.
PREDICTION: England 1-0 Russia.
LIKELY ENGLAND XI: Hart; Walker, Smalling, Cahill, Rose; Dier Wilshere, Alli, Sterling; Rooney, Kane.
ENGLAND PLAYER TO WATCH: Dele Alli has been an absolute joy to watch on the ball for Tottenham this season – arguably England’s most naturally gifted player, he always seems to have a key pass or a goal in his locker.
RUSSIA PLAYER TO WATCH: Vasili Berezutski may be a centre-half but he could be the difference between success and failure for England’s attack.
WHERE TO WATCH THE GAME: The fanzone at ON42, Media One Hotel.
RUSSIA – Lenar Sayfullin (FIFA Match Agent, Dubai)
Russia will be without one of our main midfielders Igor Denisov after he suffered an injury in our last friendly match, so it will be interesting to see who and how he will be replaced in the starting line-up. He’s an important player and his absence will surely be felt.
Our defensive line has also still not been finalised – during the last two friendlies our coach Leonid Sluitsky tried different combinations, so this also remains a very important selection issue.
The pressure is on and it is vital that the team gives everything during the first match at Euro 2016 against a very good England team, particularly offensively. The Russian players must remember that as well as those who have travelled to France there will be millions of fans willing them to succeed.
PREDICTION: England 1-1 Russia
LIKELY RUSSIA XI: Akinfeev, Berezutskiy, Ignashevich, Smolnikov, Shennikov, Glushakov, Golovin, Shatov, Kokorin, Smolov, Artem Dzyuba
RUSSIA PLAYER TO WATCH: Artem Dzyuba – Our big forward has to try to press the defensive line of England throughout the whole match and hopefully his team-mates can deliver some good passes to enable him to grab a crucial goal.
ENGLAND PLAYER TO WATCH: Jamie Vardy – He may not start but will of course still be a threat off the bench. He had a great season at Leicester and our defenders will need to be very careful to play against him as he is very fast and makes dangerous runs in behind.
WHERE TO WATCH THE GAME: The new indoor Sports Village at Dubai Sports City has huge HD screens and can fit a lot of fans inside.