Russia vs. New Zealand: A preview

CAIRO –17 June 2017: The FIFA Confederation Cup starts this Saturday in Russia, with the participation of 8 national teams. The opening match between the host country, Russia, and New Zealand will be played in Saint Petersburg Stadium at 5:00 p.m. EET (GMT+2).

Russia will try to show their improvement under their new coach, Stanislav Cherchesov, and allay their fans’ fears one year before the World Cup, competing in the tournament with a squad full of local league players.

For its part, New Zealand will want to surprise the Russians in front of their fans despite losing the support of their Captain Winston Reid due to knee injury. The team has high expectations set for their fourth participation in the tournament, and will try to qualify for the semi finals after failing to qualify in their first three attempts.

Russia and New Zealand are competing in the first group alongside Portugal and Mexico who will play against each other on Sunday.