Tuesday 7 June 2016 07:44, UK
Russia were desperate to be drawn in England's group at Euro 2016, their goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev says.
The teams meet in Saturday's Group B opener at Marseille's Stade Velodrome, and Akinfeev has risked writing Roy Hodgson's teamtalk for him ahead of the game.
The Russian No 1 says his team-mates agreed before the finals draw that England were the most beatable of a batch of top seeds also featuring France, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium.
"We knew before the groups were drawn that we had to play a top seed," said Akinfeev, quoted in the Daily Mirror. "We talked about it, and how we wanted to be drawn with England.
"It's no disrespect to England, they have some very good players, but if you look at the other top seeds we could have drawn, they are all among the favourites to win the the championship.
"England are a good team, but we feel we can match them with our quality."
Akinfeev acknowledges, though, that Russia will be up against one of the competition's top keepers in the shape of Joe Hart.
"I have a lot of respect for Joe Hart," said the 30-year-old CSKA Moscow keeper, who has won over 80 caps for his country. "Over the last three or four seasons, he has become one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. He is capable of making saves that very few goalkeepers in the world are able to do.
"He makes himself very difficult to beat, but we have some exceptional attacking players and we won't give the England goalkeeper or defence an easy game."
