If there's one thing the Russian people have learned over the past decade it is how to adapt to changed circumstances. But as the country's footballers continued their preparations for this afternoon's opening game of the new European Championship qualification campaign at Moscow's new Lokomotiv stadium, some were clearly still having some difficulty coming to terms with the shifts in the game's world order that has stripped them of much of their former status. Emmet Malone reports from Moscow

When one player was asked by one of his own journalists how today's hosts might beat the Irish, he almost spluttered out the "they are not world champions, we can beat them" line. Still, there is no escaping the fact that having only ever managed one draw in four visits to what was then the Soviet Union, it is the Republic of Ireland that goes into this game with the more impressive reputation and the higher expectations.

Much of the talk within the Irish camp has centred on how successfully they can shoulder the burden of favouritism. That might overstate their position slightly, for the reality is that while this Ireland team has progressed hugely under Mick McCarthy, it hasn't ever beaten a side of Russia's quality away from home in a competitive match.

It is hard to escape the feeling, though, that the Ireland manager could not have asked for a better opportunity to make that breakthrough and, into the bargain, seize once more the early initiative in a qualifying campaign.

Roy Keane aside, McCarthy has a virtually full-strength squad here this weekend, with only long-term injury Steve Carr missing. And given that he is virtually certain to remain loyal to those he feels performed for him at the World Cup, the only question hanging over his selection is whether Gary Kelly, having done well in Helsinki, will be accommodated.

New Russian coach Valeri Gazzayev, in contrast, has huge problems after nudging a few senior players into retirement after the World Cup and then losing a string of their most likely replacements to injury. The biggest losses to the home side are young striker Dmitry Schyov (who has been suspended after refusing to play for his club), Ruslan Pimenov and Yegor Titov, but in total at least seven of what might be considered his strongest panel are absent. In their absence, the home side will be young and have a somewhat inexperienced look, and McCarthy will hope that a team intended as one for the future will have trouble coping with the present.

That Ireland will attempt to win the game can, one assumes be taken for granted. When McCarthy attempted to play for a draw in the campaign before last, the tactic backfired hopelessly while the vastly more positive approach adopted in the last campaign, particularly in Amsterdam, paid huge dividends.

Though one or two players have been struggling with their club form, the majority of Ireland's players have come here with good reason to be pleased with the starts they have made to the new season.

Robbie Keane's form has been hard to assess because of his limited opportunities at Leeds and now his move to Spurs, but for the Ireland he has been remarkable of late with goals in each of his last four games and seven in Ireland's last 11 outings.

McCarthy said last night that he was especially pleased with the way he and Damien Duff had been performing in training this week and noted that the young Blackburn winger has been working hard on improving his play as a striker.

"His finishing, his heading and his movement were all great," said the manager. "He's not drifting the way a wide player playing up front does sometimes (and the way he often has). I'd have to say he's a terrific player."

Duff, of course, would be better out on the wing, but that, like discussing Roy Keane's absence, is a little academic at present. If he and Robbie Keane can create problems around the Russian area this afternoon - and much will depend on the ability of Kevin Kilbane and, most likely, Jason McAteer to provide them with good quality balls from wide positions - then the home side's own efforts to press forward will be stripped of much of its momentum.

Gazzayev is likely to pack midfield, meaning a busy time for Mark Kinsella and Matt Holland, but the form of both at the World Cup suggests they are capable of coping with tougher challenges than today's.

As ever, defence provides more cause for concern. Ian Harte needs to do better than he did at the World Cup, while Gary Breen, somewhat short of competitive match practice since his move to West Ham, will have to produce something at least approaching the form he managed there.

If they do, then Russia will find an always industrious back four very hard to break down and Ireland's knack for finding the net - they have only failed to score once in their last 27 games - should leave the home side needing to score more than once if they are to avoid dropping points and handing McCarthy's men the sort of edge they clung doggedly to for more than a year last time around.

Don Givens, meanwhile, has made two changes to the side that won last month in Finland ahead of this afternoon's under-21 game. After making his senior debut in Helsinki, Thomas Butler returns to the right side of midfield, with Wes Houlihan switching to the left. Nottingham Forest's John Thompson is preferred to Shaun Byrne at right back.

"There's no way that a country like Russia isn't going to have a good under-21 team, but I like to think the lads will be in with a good shout of qualifying," said Givens yesterday. In addition to competing for a place at the next European championships, the team will be aiming to qualify for the next Olympics.

SENIOR TEAMS (probable).

IRELAND: Given (Newcastle Utd); Finnan (Fulham), Cunningham (Birmingham), Breen (West Ham), Harte (Leeds Utd); McAteer (Sunderland), Kinsella (Aston Villa), Holland (Ipswich Town), Kilbane (Sunderland); Keane (Leeds Utd), Duff (Blackburn).

RUSSIA: Ovchinnilov (Lokomotiv); Solomatin (CSKA), Nizhegorodov, Ignashevitch (both Lokomotiv); Gusev (CSKA), Loskov (Lokomotiv), Smertin (Bordeaux), Khokhov (Real Sociedad), Semak (CSKA); Beschastnykh (Spartak), Kerzhakov (Zenit, St Petersburg).

IRELAND UNDER-21 TEAM: Murphy (West Brom); Goodwin (Stockport), Thompson (Nottm Forest), Byrne (Sunderland), Tierney (Man United); Butler (Sunderland), Miller (Celtic), Keane (Preston End), Houlihan (Shelbourne); Burgess (Stockport), Barrett (Arsenal/Brighton).

THE OUTCOME of this afternoon's game in Moscow will heavily influence the way Ireland's group is played out, with a win, in particular, putting the Republic in a commanding position. Georgia and Switzerland, the latter bolstered by a minor influx of good quality young players, will both trouble the big two, although neither should be capable of seriously threatening for second place and even Albania will be a test of nerve for the two qualification contenders.

FIXTURE LIST

Today: Russia v Republic of Ireland. Tomorrow: Switzerland v Georgia. October 12th: Albania v Switzerland, Georgia v Russia. October 16th: Russia v Albania, Republic of Ireland v Switzerland. 2003: March 29th: Georgia v Republic of Ireland Albania v Russia. April 4th: Albania v Republic of Ireland Georgia v Switzerland. June 7th: Switzerland v Russia, Republic of Ireland v Albania. June 11th: Republic of Ireland v Georgia, Switzerland Albania. September 6th: Republic of Ireland v Russia, Georgia v Albania. September 10th: Russia v Switzerland, Albania v Georgia. October 11th: Russia v Georgia, Switzerland v Republic of Ireland.