MOSCOW - New Russia manager Leonid Slutsky has called up five of his own players from CSKA Moscow for his first matches in charge, the Euro 2016 qualifiers against Sweden and Liechtenstein.
Russia's new manager Leonid Slutsky has called up five of his own players from CSKA Moscow for his first matches in charge
Slutsky, 44, who has coached CSKA since 2009, has named his fist squad since taking over from Italian Fabio Capello for the games in Moscow on September 5 and in Vaduz three days later.
"There's no time for any kind of experiments," Slutsky said.
"Only the country's best footballers will play in the remaining Euro 2016 qualifiers."
But leading Russia into next year's European Championship finals in France looks a daunting task.
Russia have just two wins from six matches in qualifying Group G -- a 4-0 home victory over Liechtenstein last September and the 3-0 victory over Montenegro in Podgorica in March, which they were awarded after the game was abandoned.
They have been held at home by Moldova and suffered two defeats to group leaders Austria.
Russia are currently third in the group with four matches to go and with only the best third-placed side from the nine groups qualifying automatically, their hopes of qualifying would appear to rest on the play-offs for the remaining third-placed sides.
Slutsky also called up uncapped duo, Rubin Kazan defender Oleg Kuzmin and midfielder Alexander Yerokhin from Ural Yekaterinburg.
FC Krasnodar midfielder Pavel Mamaev, who played for CSKA from 2007-2013, has also been drafted into the squad.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeyev (CSKA Moscow), Yury Lodygin (Zenit St Petersburg), Artem Rebrov (Spartak Moscow)
Defenders: Alexei Berezutsky, Vasily Berezutsky, Sergei Iagnashevich (all CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Granat, Dmitry Kombarov (both Spartak Moscow), Yury Zhirkov (Dynamo Moscow), Oleg Kuzmin (Rubin Kazan), Igor Smolnikov (Zenit St Petersburg)
Midfielders: Yury Gazinsky, Pavel Mamaev (both FC Krasnodar), Denis Glushakov, Roman Shirokov (both Spartak Moscow), Igor Denisov, Alexei Ionov (both Dynamo Moscow), Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow), Alexander Yerokhin (Ural Yekaterinburg), Oleg Shatov (Zenit St Petersburg), Denis Cheryshev (Real Madrid/ESP)
Forwards: Artem Dzyuba (Zenit St Petersburg), Alexander Kokorin (Dynamo Moscow), Fedor Smolov (FC Krasnodar)