The national football team of Russia on December 1 recognized its rivals at the upcoming championship of the planet. Now the coaching staff of the team has to prepare for at least three matches of the group stage, and the fans carefully study the schedule of games of Stanislav Cherchesov's wards.
The first meeting of the Russian national team will take place on June 14, 2018 at the capital's Luzhniki stadium. This match will be the only one on the starting match day. The game of the opening of the world championship in all official programs is the confrontation between the national teams of Russia and Saudi Arabia.
As a result of the draw, many football experts noted a relatively successful calendar of the Russian national team. The schedule of matches of the national team allows you to prepare for each match gradually, starting with relatively easy opponents. By the way, the rating of Saudi Arabia in FIFA is very low. This team is only 63rd. However, this rating is quite a subjective thing. In particular, the Russian national team is located even lower in it - on the 65th position between Algeria and Guinea.
The Russians will play their second game with the national team of Egypt. On paper, this opponent looks stronger than the Saudi Arabian team. On Tuesday, June 19, the stadium in St. Petersburg will gladly host the native national team. This meeting has been made for the evening and will be the final one in the sixth game day.
The Russian national team will play the last game in the group stage with the favorite of Group A. On Monday, June 25, Samara will meet the domestic players. The rivals for the Russians are the national team of Uruguay, known for its stellar line-up and the best duo of South American forwards (Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez).
Of course, Russian fans hope for the continuation of their favorite team's performance in the playoffs, especially since Quartet A does not look completely impassable. Therefore, it is worth mentioning the possible dates for the matches of the 1/8 finals. According to the rules of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the first two teams of groups A and B will meet in knock-out matches. That is, if the Russian national team takes 1st place in their group, it will play the 1/8 match with the second team of group B (in which Portugal and Spain are favorites). This game will take place on the evening of June 30th in Sochi. If the Russians manage to get into the decisive stage of the tournament from the second place in their quartet, the dating of the 1/8 finals between teams B1 and A2 is determined on the first of July. The meeting will take place in Moscow at the Luzhniki stadium.
I would like to believe that the Russian national team will be able to go as far as possible along the tournament grid. But before the start of the World Cup, it would be rash to guarantee the national team a place in the quarterfinals.
