Russians to miss Ireland test

Sytchev dropped

Onopko back
Gazzaev's 24-man squad features eight PFC CSKA Moskva players, while Viktor Onopko, who recently celebrated 100 caps with Russia is back in the fold, after Gazzaev reversed his initial decision to drop him along with a group of other long-serving candidates.

'Very experienced'
Meanwhile, the coach said that Onopko's return was vital for the national side. "This player is very experienced and has done a lot for this side. It seems to me, Onopko will still be useful for us," Gazzaev said.

'Important match'
Russia will start their preparations for the Ireland game on 2 September in Bor base in Moscow area. "Ireland did not change a lot since World Cup, where they impressed," Gazzaev said. "The match is going to be important and tough for us, but our friendly with Sweden [a 1-1 draw last week] showed that we have passion, skill and will to become a good side."

Russia squad
Ovchinnikov, Nigmatullin, Ignashevitch, Nizhegorodov, Dayev, Evsikov, Kovtun, Onopko, Smertin, Yanovskiy, Gusev, Solomatin, Semak, Loskov, Khokhlov, Karyaka, Arshavin, Semshov, Aldonin, Laktionov, Pimenov, Kerzhakov, Popov, Beschastnykh