Source: CCTV.com

06-10-2008 10:39

Special Report:   2008 European Championships

It was the night before their Euro 2008 opening match, and all through the field, a rather inexperienced Russian side put their hopes on Dutch coach Guus Hiddink to spring a surprise on Spain. Meanwhile, Sweden are expecting a tight match against Greece.

Russia prepares to face Spain

Russia's Coach Guus Hiddink's record at this level is quite impressive. He helped South Korea reach the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup, and then four years later, the Dutchman took Australia through to the knockout stages, before they lost out to Italy. Now Hiddink is trying to do something similar with a young Russian side. But he admits that he's not too sure what to expect from them.

The Russian squad is talented but very inexperienced and will find the going tough against a powerful Spanish side. Nonetheless, Hiddink has been impressed with what he has seen in the build-up from his young side and is convinced they have the attitude and commitment to take on Spain.

Sweden to face Greece

Sweden Coach Lars Lagerback had no major injury concerns on Monday ahead of their match and will be counting on star strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrik Larsson to steer them off to a good start.

The Swedes trained behind closed doors, careful not to release too many hints about line-ups or tactics. Coach Lagerback says he's aware that the pressure is on his team to improve its performance from previous competitions fans can expect a very close match when they take on Greece.

 

Editor:Zhang Ning