Stanislav Cherchesov, the coach of Russia, stated that his Belgian counterpart Roberto Martinez still has an unstoppable squad despite the absence of influential midfielders, ahead of their match in the opening of Group B in the European football Championship. De Bruyne did not travel with Belgium for the first match against Russia in St. Petersburg, as he continues to recover from an injury involving a fracture in the eye socket and nose sustained during the Champions League final. He underwent minor surgery afterwards before rejoining his teammates last Monday. Midfielder Axel Witsel is also recovering from an ankle ligament injury. Belgium reached the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup and has topped the FIFA World Ranking for the last three years.
Cherchesov told reporters on Friday, "They have 18 players from the World Cup squad, as far as I know. We faced them three times, and all were exciting and enjoyable matches for the fans. We are studying them, and our goal tomorrow is to present ourselves in the best possible way. We have suffered two defeats, but let’s not forget that Belgium is a fantastic team."
The Russian national team faced a significant setback today with the announcement that defender Roman Yevgeniev has joined the squad participating in the European Championship as a replacement for midfielder Andrei Mostovoi, who contracted COVID-19.
Attention will be focused on Russian forward and team captain Artem Dzyuba, who has scored 29 goals for his country, just two goals shy of becoming the top scorer in history. Dzyuba remarked that De Bruyne's absence is a significant loss for Belgium, but they are still contenders to top the group. "I remember how strong the Belgian team is, their organizational skills, and discipline. I know exactly what I need to do during the match. We have experience, and we have analyzed all matches," said Dzyuba.
