Gazzayev adds a third goalkeeper to squad for Euro qualifier

RUSSIA coach Valery Gazzayev has added 17-year-old CSKA Moscow goalkeeper Igor Akinfeyev to his 20-man squad for Saturday’s Euro 2004 Group 10 qualifier against Switzerland.

“He played well in Samara on Saturday, so I have decided to give him a chance with the national team,” Gazzayev, who also coaches CSKA, told a news conference yesterday.

Akinfeyev, who turned 17 two months ago, made an impressive premier league debut against Krylya Sovietov Samara as he saved a penalty by Russian international Andrei Karyaka with two minutes remaining to preserve CSKA’s 2-0 lead.

Gazzayev already has two experienced keepers, Akinfeyev’s team mate Veniamin Mandrykin and Lokomotiv Moscow’s Sergei Ovchinnikov, in his squad.

But the coach kept his cards close to his chest when he was asked who had the best chance to start the match in Basel.

“Everyone has a chance to play and we will have to see who is better prepared as the game gets closer,” he said.

“But no matter who plays on Saturday in Akinfeyev we have our future. If he plays the way he has until now, he can be the national team goalkeeper for the next 10 years.”

Gazzayev, who was heavily criticised by the Russian media following consecutive defeats to Group 10 outsiders Albania and Georgia, vowed to turn things around against the Swiss.

“I can promise you there will be no repeat of Albania or Georgia in Basel,” he said.

“Only victory will be considered a good result for us.”

Second-placed Russia, with six points from four matches, trail Group 10 leaders Switzerland by two points.

UEFA Cup match days will be scheduled to avoid clashing with the Champions League next season and take advantage of the reversion to a single group stage in Europe’s top club competition.

UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, said they would also be looking at changes to the UEFA Cup competition, but they would not be made for this year’s tournament.

Since the demise of the Cup Winners’ Cup, UEFA Cup games have mainly taken place on Thursdays with Champions League fixtures held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The removal of the second group stage of the Champions League next season has left a less hectic schedule after the first group stages draw to a close before the New Year.

UEFA have taken the chance to boost the profile of their secondary competition by reorganising the UEFA Cup to fill some of the weeks where the Champions League fixtures would previously have been held.

“There have been changes made to the UEFA Cup schedule for next season and it is correct to say that this has been done to avoid clashes with the Champions League competition,” a UEFA spokesman said.

“UEFA is in the process of looking at the structure of the UEFA Cup as a whole, although a decision and changes will not come into existence until the 2004-05 season at the earliest,” he said.

UEFA said that teams finishing in third place in the Champions League group stages would still go into the third round of the UEFA Cup, which will not take place until the much later date of February next year.