Russia aim to recapture early form

Russia will look to regain lost ground in UEFA EURO 2012 Group B having missed a host of chances against Armenia back on 26 March.

• Vardan Minasyan's men could have taken the lead on 19 minutes had Igor Akinfeev not repelled Marcos Pizzelli's long shot, but Roman Berezovsky was to be the busier goalkeeper therafter. He saved from Yuri Zhirkov before Sergei Ignashevich, Aleksandr Kerzhakov and Roman Shirokov all missed decent chances for Dick Advocaat's side.

• Russia are one of three teams on 10 points at the top of Group B, but Armenia – fourth and unbeaten in four qualifiers – would move above them with a win in St Petersburg.

• Russia have won all four of their competitive games in the former Leningrad without conceding a goal, most recently beating Liechtenstein 3-0 in FIFA World Cup qualifying on 5 September 2009.

• Armenia and Russia have met only twice before this campaign, having been pooled together in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2000. Their first encounter was in Yerevan on 27 March 1999, two Valeri Karpin goals and a late third by Vladimir Beschastnykh earning the visitors a 3-0 win.

• Beschastnykh and Karpin – now coach of FC Spartak Moskva – scored a goal apiece as Russia won the rematch 2-0 on 4 September 1999. Armenia have thus never managed to score against Russia.