Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni is set to pit his wits against Dick Advocaat in the qualifiers for Euro 2012 with the Dutchman set to be unveiled as Russia’s new coach.
Russia, the top seeds in Group B, will play Trapattoni’s side at the Aviva Stadium on November 14th, while the away leg is set for September 2011.
Last month, the 62-year-old Advocaat resigned as Belgium coach after just six months in the job, but he is expected to sign a long-term contract for a country where he enjoyed success at club level with Zenit St Petersburg.
On resigning the Belgian post, he confirmed that he had been approached by the Russian federation with a view to succeeding compatriot Guus Hiddink.
Hiddink led Russia to the semi-finals at Euro 2008 but his team failed to qualify for this summer’s World Cup finals in South Africa. He will vacate the post when his contract expires on June 30th.
“Advocaat will arrive in Moscow on Tuesday and will be presented to our executive board," Russian FA president Sergei Fursenko told reporters.
“His task would be to lead our team to the finals of both Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup," Fursenko added. "He's a real workaholic. He knows all our (top) players which is a big plus."
Advocaat has had previous spells as a national coach with the Netherlands, the UAE and South Korea as well as successful stints at club level with PSV Eindhoven and Glasgow Rangers.