Tue Jun 3 19:30:43 2008

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Euro 2008 Preview: Hiddink out to perform another miracle

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Guus Hiddink has performed miracles on more than one occasion, and the 61-year-old manager of Russia will be asked to do so once more.

Hiddink has seen it all during his long and successful managerial career. He has won league and European Cup titles at the club level, and has produced unbelievable results in the last two World Cups with South Korea and Australia.

He took over 2002 World Cup co-hosts South Korea and turned them into the story of the tournament. The nation had never before advanced past the group stage, but Hiddink, along with a passionate home crowd, led the team all the way to the semifinals.

Hiddink then tackled another tall task in the 2006 World Cup, guiding Australia to the knockout round in only its second ever appearance in the World Cup.

The Socceroos lost to eventual champions Italy on a last-second penalty kick, but the reputation of Hiddink was enhanced even further.

He inherited a Russia squad that had to compete with both Croatia and England just to get into the Euro finals, but once again Hiddink got the job done, and now he will be looking to carry the Russians into the last eight from a group that includes Spain, defending champions Greece and Sweden.

Spain will be favored to win the group, but the battle for the second spot should be close, and will likely come down to the final match.

The roster is made up almost entirely of players from the Russian Premier League, which has become one of the most improved leagues in Europe. Striker Ivan Saenko is the only player on the 23-man roster who plays his club ball outside of Russia, and the success of this team will serve as a reflection of the fast-emerging league.

Captain Andrei Arshavin has become a hot commodity around Europe after he helped Zenit St. Petersburg capture the UEFA Cup this past season, but he will miss the team's first two games through suspension.

Arshavin picked up a red card in the final six minutes of Russia's last qualifier with Andorra, and his absence is a big blow to the attack.

Striker Pavel Pogrebnyak was another key figure in Zenit's UEFA Cup run. He was the tournament's leading scorer, but his fitness is a question after he picked up a knee injury against Serbia in a friendly.

If the team has to play without Pogrebnyak as well as Arshavin, the scoring load will fall on the shoulders of Roman Pavlyuchenko, who scored both goals in Russia's qualifying win over England at home.

The Spartak Moscow striker has notched 63 goals in 128 games since joining the club in 2003, and has finished as the club's leading scorer each year.

The goalkeeping situation is unsettled with Igor Akinfeev, Vladimir Gabulov and Viacheslav Malafeev each battling for playing time. All three are good options, but it is always nice to have a true number one between the posts.

Alexei Berezutsky anchors the Russian back line, while 32-year-old midfielder Sergei Semak is the oldest player on the roster, showing the youth in Hiddink's side.

OUTLOOK:

The loss of Arshavin for the first two games is a huge blow, but if Russia can stay in contention until its final game against Sweden, they will have a good chance of getting into the knockout round. Russia is solid, not spectacular defensively and in the midfield, but a few difference makers on offense, along with the experience of Hiddink, could put the team over the top. Russia has the potential to be one of the surprise teams of the tournament, but a likely meeting with either France or Italy in the quarterfinals is as far as they will go.