EXCITEMENT BEGINS

Today’s glitzy World Cup draw will start build-up towards actual competition

MOSCOW organised project but they don’t have the kind of stars that the other powers do,” Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli said this week.

Certainly, the Germans can ex pect stiff competition from the Brazil of Neymar — revitalised after their nightmare 7-1 loss to the Germans on home soil — and Spain in particular.

The first step, though, is discovering who they will meet in the group stage as the focus turns to the State Kremlin Palace, where the snow and freezing temperatures of a Russian winter will greet the footballing world for a ceremony starting at 6pm local time (1500 GMT).

For all the talk of the controversial awarding of the tournament in the first place, of the friction between Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the west, and of fears over hooliganism and potential terror attacks, the draw marks

Whatever happens we will accept it gladly and sportingly. I don’t waste energy thinking about who I prefer and who I don’t.”

the moment when excitement really starts to build towards the actual competition.

Coaches, players and fans will get an idea of who their teams will face, when and where in this enormous country which will see games staged at venues in 11 different cities, often thousands of kilometres apart, between June 14 and July 15.

Germany, Brazil and Argentina are all in the first pot along with France, European champions Portugal, Belgium, Poland and the hosts.

But if those nations are certain of avoiding each other, danger lurks in pot two, where the Spanish — rebuilt into a formidable force by Julen Lopetegui after poor showings in 2014 and at Euro 2016 — lie along with England.

“Whatever happens we will accept it gladly and sportingly. I don’t wasteenergy thinking about who I prefer and who I don’t,” said Lopetegui recently, but Spain and England will surely be crossing their fingers in the hope of being paired with Poland or the Russians.

This will be the penultimate 32nation tournament before FIFA’s grand plan for 48 teams comes into effect for 2026 and world football’s governing body will keep apart sides from the same continent with the exception of Europe, which has 14 representatives to go into the eight groups.

As a result, most of the sections will contain two European nations, raising the prospect of England or Spain meeting Germany and Spain this year, both of which ended in 3-3 draws, the Russians were able to recover from trailing by two goals.

The Russian team will kick off at the World Cup with some certainties. Cherchesov has already boasted about his defence, which will include Viktor Vasin (CSKA Moscow), Fedor Kudryashov (Rubin Kazan) and Georgiy Dzhikiya (Spartak Moscow).

Veteran goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, capped 113 times by Russia, will play alongside his CSKA or France in heavyweight contests right from the start.

Alternatively, there is the possibility of Gareth Southgate’s side being drawn with Iceland in a repeat of the Euro 2016 clash in Nice that ended in humiliation for Roy Hodgson’s England.

Quarter-finalists at the Euros, Iceland join Central American outsiders Panama in making their World Cup debut in Russia.

Also eagerly awaiting the draw will be Peru, in the finals for the first time since 1982, and Egypt, back after a 28-year absence.

Those sides will add something new to a tournament that will be deprived, amongst others, of Italy for the first time since 1958, 2014 semi-finalists the Netherlands, and the United States. AFP Moscow team-mate Alan Dzagoev and Spartak Moscow midfielder Denis Glushakov.

The arrival of the Miranchuk brothers, who both play for Lokomotiv Moscow, breathed new life into the team.

Russia are waiting to see their best strikers Fedor Smolov (Krasnodar) and Zenit player Alexander Kokorin finally reunited on the pitch.

To test themselves, Russia will play another friendly against Brazil in March.

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko has set a goal of reaching the quarter-finals at next year’s tournament.

That would already be an achievement, with Russia yet to advance beyond the first round in three World Cup appearances — in 1994, 2002 and 2014 — since the fall of the USSR. AFP