Russia boss Hiddink ponders Arshavin recall

RUSSIA coach Guus Hiddink will make a late decision on unleashing Andrei Arshavin against Sweden, giving the playmaker another opportunity to spark interest among Premier League clubs.

Arshavin, 27, has been linked with Manchester City and Newcastle after impressing in the UEFA Cup final when Zenit St Petersburg defeated Rangers.

After getting dismissed against Andorra in Russia’s final qualifier, Arshavin was suspended for the first two games of Euro 2008 and Hiddink must decide whether he is ready for the final Group D game, with a win required to pip Sweden to a quarter-final place.

“I don’t know whether he will play or not,” Hiddink said.

“The last match he took part in was a friendly against Lithuania (on June 4). Up until then, he had not played much, therefore he may not be in good enough condition to play a whole 90 minutes.”

Hiddink continued: “Arshavin is a footballer who can make something out of nothing. He can score from anywhere. It’s very useful for our team.”

Hiddink used his confrontational style to get the best out of the Russian squad ahead of the Greece game, with victory setting up their chance to reach the last eight.

“Guus gave us a serious talking-to,” said striker Roman Pavlyuchenko.

“After losing to Spain, the team were unfairly hung out to dry by the media and the pundits — it was very unpleasant to listen to all those negatives. But we wanted to prove that we have character.”

Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is expected to play despite picking up a slight knee problem against Spain at the weekend. They only need a point and coach Lars Lagerback expects experience to be a factor.

“Absolutely the most important thing for a match like this is to be 100% prepared,” he said.

“We are 100% sure of what substitutions and changes we want to make under different scenarios. That is the single most important thing I’ve learned from playing similar, do-or-die types of matches.

“The fact many of our players have experienced these situations before, also has a certain importance.

“Our players have proved they’re very strong in that department. Not least the way we’ve come back in the late stages of matches.”