Andrei Kanchelskis will not be fit for the return leg of Russia's World Cup play-off in Italy next week and as a result hasn't been included in the Russian preliminary squad which was announced yesterday.
The Fiorentina winger went off with a knee injury at half-time in last week's first leg in Moscow after colliding with Italian goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca. The game finished 1-1, leaving the Russians with an uphill task in Naples on November 15th to qualify for next year's finals in France.
Coach Boris Ignatyev named 25 players, including Italian-based Omari Tetradze and Igor Simutenkov, both of whom have been out injured. It is not yet clear if either will play and the final squad will be cut by three to five places. Roma defender Tetradze was expected to be out for up to six months after tearing ligaments in Russia's win over Luxembourg in Moscow on April 30th.
Also back from injury is influential Sporting Gijon defender Yuri Nikiforov. Sergei Yuran, who scored the equaliser in the first leg, is likely to lead the attack alongside Bologna's Igor Kolyvanov.
Russian Squad (v Italy): Ovchinnikov (Benfica), Cherchesov (Tirol), Filimonov (Spartak Moscow); Tetradze (Roma), Khlestov (Spartak Moscow), Nikiforov (Sporting Gijon), Chugainov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Solomatin (Lokomotiv Moscow), Onopko (Oviedo), Kovtun (Dynamo Moscow), Bushmanov (Torpedo Moscow); Popov (Compostela), Yesipov (Rotor Volgograd), Veretennikov (Rotor Volgograd), Kechinov (Spartak Moscow), Alenichev (Spartak Moscow), Tikhonov (Spartak Moscow), Khokhl ov (Torpedo Moscow), Yanovsky (Alania Vladikavkaz), Radimov (Zaragoza), Semak (CSKA Moscow); Kolyvanov (Bologna), Yuran (Bochum), Beschastnykh (Racing Santander), Simutenkov (Reggiana).
