Russia have been formed to name a rather depleted squad for the Confederations Cup later this month with nine of their Euro 2016 participants not making the list.

Manager Stanislav Cherchesov has decided to go with untested bunch of players for the showpiece event in their home nation with Yuri Zhirkov and Igor Akinfeev among the highly-experienced players in the squad.

Zhirkov, who is a left-back by trade, has the versatility to pop up anywhere across the field, and the nation will be counting on him to guard the backline, which lacks the presence of Vasily Berezutsky and Sergei Ignashevich. Akinfeev has been the undisputed number one for CSKA and Russia over the years, and he will have to be in his best form, in order to push the nation towards success.

Smolov is likely to lead the line for the Russians during the Confederations Cup with his compatriot Artyom Dzyuba in the physio room alongside several other key players including Alan Dzagoev and Roman Zobnin. Russia earned a valuable draw against Chile in an international friendly, and this provides them a lift as they take on Oceania champions New Zealand in the opener. Continue reading “Russia count on Yuri Zhirkov, Igor Akinfeev’s experience at the Confederations Cup” →

The Birmingham Mail claims that Aston Villa is eyeing a move on Aston Villa star Christopher Samba.

Steve Bruce is set to offer the player a deal as he has been on trial with Villa since the winter window. He has been training with the team and it seems Bruce would confirm him this summer.

Birmingham want to spoil the party by luring the player under Bruce’s nose, the report says. The club manager Harry Redknapp has worked with the player in question at Queen Park Rangers. As he wants to bolster his squad, he might offer the Congo international a deal. Continue reading “BIRMINGHAM KEEN ON ASTON VILLA STAR” →

The VTB Arena is a multi-purpose stadium which is in the process of being built and it will be the new home stadium of Dynamo Moscow, it’s expected to be completed and opened for matches in 2018.

This construction process has an estimated cost of around US$1.5 billion and this will also include the development of various other complexes such as: a 5 star hotel, office buildings, a shopping mall, apartment building and a parking garage with a capacity for over 1,500 cars.

Dynamo Moscow is attempting to be negotiating with the English Premier League club Arsenal in order to have their inauguration match with them when the VTB Arena gets completed in 2018. Continue reading “Will Arsenal be the 1st club to play against Moscow at the VTB Arena?” →

Former Dynamo Moscow defender who currently plays for Zenit Saint Petersburgh said that he wants to participate in the next World Cup in Russia.

He said that he is training hard with his club and he hopes to make it to the last big competition of his career.

The player said that he has always love to play for his country and he feels that the World Cup 2018 will be the last opportunity for him to represent his country in a major tournament.

He admitted however that his chances are slim at the moment as there are some younger players ahead of him but he said that you never know in football. The important thing for him is to train hard and make sure that he is fit enough to play at the highest level. Continue reading “Zhirkov wants to play in the World Cup” →

English Championship side Aston Villa have been undergoing a massive transformation this term. It is hard to imagine that this is the same team that competed in the top flight only few months ago.

Bruce has been trying to get the balance right in the team and he would have to decide on Chris Samba within the next few days.

The 32-year old featured in the club’s feeder team that played Wolves at Molineux on Monday. He was with Greek outfit Panathinaikos but he has been training with the club since his contract release. The former Blackburn defender played over 150 Premier League games but he joined Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala in 2012.

Queen Park Rangers were keen on bringing him back to England so they paid over £12 million after only a year. Samba returned to Russia where he played for Dynamo Moscow but soon joined the Greek club where he’s been released. Continue reading “BRUCE TO DECIDE ON SAMBA’S FUTURE SOON” →

Dynamo Moscow is generally considered to be one of the biggest football clubs in Russia as they have consistently been able to perform in the top tier league of Russia from the 1930’s until 2016 when they were relegated for the first time.

The Russian club is now working it’s way back into the Russian Premier League and are currently located at the top spot of the 2^nd tier Russian Football National League.

If Dynamo Moscow is able to secure this top position until the remainder of the season then they will earn their promotion back to where they have traditionally been competing for over 50 years.

In the world of football, every country has a club that has been able to represent their nation with impressive achievements and putting the sport on the map not only at a national level but also internationally.

Juventus has been doing this role for Italy while in Germany it’s hard to argue that Bayern Munich are the most dominant club and have been throughout the majority of the sport in Germany. Continue reading “Dynamo Moscow is working it’s way back up” →

Former Chelsea and Dynamo Moscow forward Yuri Zhirkov has backed Chelsea to win the title this season. He said that they have been the most consistent team in the Premier League and that they deserve to win the title.

Yuri Zhirkov said Antonio Conte had brought desire back in the team and that the players are fully committed to him. He believes that Chelsea has the necessary resources to win the title and that they already have a good lead on Tottenham Hotspurs.

The former Dynamo Moscow player said that Chelsea was outstanding in the match against Arsenal. They managed to defend in group and counter well and did not give the Arsenal players any time on the ball.

He said that Antonio Conte has successfully brought his defensive qualities to the team and that Chelsea is a team that does not concede a lot of goals. Yuri Zhirkov said that the team has changed a lot from last year and that the players are now more passionate. Continue reading “Chelsea to win title” →

The Russian football team humbled their Indian counterparts 8-0 in a group match of the Valentin Granatkin Memorial cup at the Under 17 level, according to reports.

The margin could have increased if not for some missed chances.

Before the referee blew the whistle for half time, it was already 5-0 even with Russia losing a penalty just before the official called time on the game. Russia showed their superiority clearly from the get go as they scored their first in the second minute. India were too stunned to respond and barely stood any chance against their hosts.

The All India Football Federation report said the second goal of the game was in the 12th minute as Russia continued their purposeful attack on their opponents. Two other quick goals happened in the 21st and 25th minute to effectively cripple any thoughts of coming back into the game by the Indians. Continue reading “RUSSIA THRASH INDIA 8-0” →

Former Dynamo Moscow player Yuri Zhirkov said that he is desperate to participate in the Russian World Cup.

At 33 years old he knows that it is hard for him to get a place in the team but he believes that he has a small chance to make it into the national team.

The player believes that the fact that he is playing in Russia can be a decisive factor in getting him into the national side as he is performing in front of his fans and the national coach every week.

Yuri Zhirkov has left Dynamo Moscow at the beginning of the year and joined Zenit. He stated that this had been a difficult decision to take as he has enjoyed so much success with Dynamo Moscow in the past. However, he believes that this was the only way for him to get more playing time and to increase his chance of making it to the World Cup. Continue reading “Zhirkov on Russian World Cup” →