Dzyuba and Tarasov excited by Russia's draw

Russia players Artem Dzyuba and Dmitri Tarasov both hailed the Group B draw which pitted their team against England, Slovakia and Wales, a selection which prompted coach Leonid Slutski to say: "Every team has a chance of making it through."

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Leonid Slutski, Russia coach
We've got a very interesting group: two teams from Britain and two teams representing eastern Europe. Of course, England are the favourites but every team has a chance of making it through to the next round.

We spoke about how it would be good to play against England from the top-seeded teams, and that's what has happened. However, there are no weak teams at the European Championship.

We don't know a huge amount about Slovakia or Wales because we've not come across them in official matches or friendlies. Now we will start gathering information on them.

Artem Dzyuba, Russia striker
It's a very exciting and even group with good, solid teams. At a glance, England are the favourites on paper, but any team can beat any other team. It's not the worst draw for us. Plus, we kick off against England so we can dive straight into the great atmosphere of the tournament, into the euphoria.

We need to start with a win, of course, to be more confident. It won't be easy for anyone. I'll be happy to battle against both England and Wales. I'm really looking forward to this tournament – even just now, when I was watching the draw on TV, the adrenaline was pumping.

Dmitri Tarasov, Russia midfielder
A good draw – everything is down to us. You cannot call any of the teams favourites as the group is pretty even. But I wouldn't say Russia were lucky with the draw. England, Slovakia and Wales are all great teams.