Russia man-by-man

SOCCER:DICK ADVOCAAT'S record in management might be a little erratic but his grounding in Russian club football means he is extremely familiar with the pool of talent available to him. Here is a brief guide to the players he is most likely to look to tonight

1 IGOR AKINFEEV

Age: 24. Caps:43. Goals: 0. Club: CSKA Moscow.

If goalkeepers are supposed to mature sometime in their mid thirties then Akinfeev has been progressing ahead of schedule so far having broken into both the CSKA and national teams during his late teens. Has been known to make his fair share of mistakes over the years but continues to improve.

2 ALEKSANDR ANYUKOV

Age: 28. Caps: 52. Goals: 1. Club: Zenit St Petersburg.

The hugely experienced right back has been a mainstay of the Zenit team for most of the past decade. A good passer of the ball who likes to get forward.

3 VASILI BEREZUTSKI

Age: 28. Caps: 46 Goals: 2. Club: CSKA Moscow.

A big and quick defender who, along with his twin brother Aleksis, is a key member of the CSKA defence. Like many members of this side, he is impressively versatile and looks almost as comfortable at full back or slightly forward as he does at the heart of the back four.

4 SERGEI IGNASHEVICH

Age: 31. Caps: 59: Goals: 4. Club: CSKA Moscow.

A technically gifted defender whose talents are so celebrated back at home that he has been voted the Russian Union Defender of the Year in each of the last nine seasons. No stranger to Dublin having been the one to score when the Russians drew 1-1 here seven years ago.

5 YURI ZHIRKOV

Age: 27. Caps: 36. Goals: 0. Club: Chelsea.

Having made his name over the course of a few very impressive seasons at Zenit, Zhirkov’s reputation soared during Euro 2008. Has more recently been unable to win a regular club spot either at left back or on the left hand side of the midfield and lack of recent first team action is a concern.

6 IGOR DENISOV

Age: 26. Caps: 12. Goals: 0. Club: Zenit St Petersburg.

The central creative figure in the Russian midfield, Denisov likes to be at the heart of things, passing the team out of defence, opening up opportunities for those in front of him and occasionally splitting opposition defences with pinpoint long passes. Also scores a few important goals for his club.

7 ROMAN SHIROKOV

Age: 29. Caps: 8. Goals: 1. Club: Zenit St Petersburg.

A much travelled player whose initial arrival on the international stage in central defence proved short lived. He has since worked his way back into the reckoning in his preferred position of central midfield.

8 KONSTANTIN ZYRYANOV

Age: 33. Caps: 34. Goals: 7. Club: Zenit St Petersburg.

Considered something of a phenomenon back in Russia, Zyryanov was well into an unremarkable career when he finally arrived at Zenit from Torpedo Moscow and proved to be a revelation. Hugely versatile, he can play in defence, central midfield or just behind the strikers.

9 PAVEL POGREBNYAK

Age: 26. Caps: 21. Goals: 7. Club: Stuttgart.

The big striker, nicknamed Po the Great by his team-mates is a powerful all rounder who has averaged a goal every three games for Zenit, Stuttgart and the national team over the last few years.

10 ANDREY ARSHAVIN

Age: 29. Caps: 54. Goals: 16. Club: Arsenal.

At his best, Arshavin is probably one of the best players in the world and a really strong performance from him tonight would leave the Irish defence struggling to cope. At the European Championships, though, he showed how erratic he can be.

11 ALEKSANDR KERSHAKOV

Age: 27. Caps: 50. Goals: 15. Club: Zenit.

Another player who has been around the block a bit, Kershakov has hit the headlines recently after scoring two hat-tricks in three games, the first against Anderlecht and the second against Saturn Moscow.

– EMMET MALONE