Preview: Russia – Sweden

Russia and Sweden face each other in their final Euro 2008 Group D encounter, one that’ll decide which team joins Spain in the quarter finals.

Of the two teams, Russia face the hardest task as Guus Hiddink’s men need a win to make it to the next round.

Midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov expects the last group match to be a tough one: “We have one game left and it will be as tough and nerve-racking as the Greece match. But, obviously, we are in better spirits now than we were after we played Spain.”

For this match, Hiddink will be able to count on the skills of Zenit St Petersburg start Andrei Arshavin.

Arshavin couldn’t play in the first two matches as result of a suspension he earned himself in Russia’s qualifier with Andorra.

Whether Sweden manager Lagerback has the option of fielding star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains uncertain.

Lagerback refused on Tuesday to give any clarity on the player’s situation. Ibrahimovic has been suffering from a longstanding left knee injury and couldn’t play the entire match against Greece.

Russia and Sweden last match for a 2002 friendly, which had a 1-1 draw as result. Their last competitive clash was at the 1994 World Cup, where Sweden won 3-1 and went on to reach third place.