Electoral progress: who will play for the Russian national team with Nigeria and Belarus

The coaching staff, led by Valery Karpin, announced the expanded Russian national team for friendly matches with Nigeria and Belarus, which will take place in the first part of June. PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov is included in it. The Miranchuk brothers are also in the squad, but Alexander Golovin and Arsen Zakharyan were not bothered, so as not to put them at risk of relapses. Artyom Dzyuba, who became the main headliner of the last training camp, is also not on the list.

The difficult path

The possibility of summoning Safonov was also widely discussed, especially against the background of the scandalous alimony story. At the end of August, the Nikulinsky Court in Moscow ruled that the goalkeeper was obliged to pay his ex-wife monthly funds in the amount of 25% of his income for the maintenance of their daughter. After that, he missed two training camps of the national team.

Now Matvey is in the preliminary application, but this does not mean that he will be included in the final list. According to the goalkeeper coach of the Russian national team, Vitaly Kafanov, Safonov's possible participation in the Champions League final will affect his entry into the final squad.

— The decision to include Matvey in the final squad will be made immediately before the training camp. The final list will include four goalkeepers," the specialist emphasized.

The last time Safonov defended the colors of the national team was in a 4-0 match with the Belarusians in June last year. It should be noted that Matvey played for PSG in 10 French championship matches, as well as in two Champions League games.

— I played in European leagues and I know how the goalkeeper kitchen is built there. He was allowed to play this season," Stanislav Cherchesov, the former head coach of the Russian national team, said in a conversation with Izvestia. But Donnarumma is still number one. No one is going to fire such a goalkeeper for nothing. Due to Gianluigi's high-quality performance, they are in the Champions League final. And the fact that Matvey chose a difficult path is only an honor and praise.

Besides Matvey, there are several other interesting points in the line-up. Firstly, Arsen Zakharyan and Alexander Golovin were not included in the list of 41 football players. According to Karpin, they decided to save the midfielders.

— Yes, I talked to both of them, mainly about their well-being and physical condition. Alexander Golovin has almost recovered, but he is still training according to an individual program. Arsen Zakharyan was in Real Sociedad's bid for the last match for the first time since February, but did not enter the field. We think it's better to take care of both players, not to put them at risk of relapses, so we didn't plan to call both of them to this training camp," the RFU website quotes the head coach.

Without Chalov and Dzyuba

In addition, Fedor Chalov, who plays for the Greek PAOK, is not on the list. Valery Georgievich stressed that the coaching staff is monitoring the ex-CSKA striker.

— In his first season in the championship, which was new to him, he needed time to adapt, and there wasn't always enough game practice. We hope that next season will be successful for him and he will return to the national team," Karpin said.

One of the main surprises is the presence on the list of 20—year-old CSKA player Jamalutdin Abdulkadirov, who has not played much at the adult level. The coach explained his challenge by wanting to give the defender a chance to prove himself.

— Rather, it's an advance and an opportunity to show the player that we are looking after him, and by continuing to perform well for the club, he will achieve a place in the national team. We keep an eye on the young players who are showing themselves in the RPL and the Cup, and we have debutants at almost every training camp. It is important that young players soak up the atmosphere of playing for the main team, get acquainted with the requirements of the coaching staff," Karpin explained.

It is also worth noting the absence of Akron forward Artyom Dzyuba, although he was called up for the March training camp, and Zenit striker Alexander Sobolev, who scored 4+1 in the RPL this spring. At the same time, Valery Georgievich drew attention to the progress of Dynamo player Yaroslav Gladyshev, who gained crazy form by the end of the season, and Nail Umyarov from Spartak.

— The challenge of a football player depends on a number of factors, — Karpin continued. — We are not looking at the results of a particular team, but at the performance of a particular player in a particular position, including in the context of our requirements in the national team. As for Nail Umyarov, despite the decline in the results of his club, we liked the way he showed himself in the games of the final segment of the championship. But, again, we are talking about an expanded team now. A decision on the final squad for the matches against Belarus and Nigeria has yet to be made.

The meeting with Nigeria will take place on June 6 in Luzhniki Stadium, and on June 10 our team will play with Belarus in Minsk. In the last eight games, Russia has never conceded or conceded a single goal. The overall score is 44:0.