Russia will not be resting their players in the Group A decider against Uruguay, though both teams are already through to the second round, and cannot handpick their future opponents regardless of the result.

Read more

“We are playing against a good team. We want to reach the play-offs from first place in our group,” coach Stanislav Cherchesov said ahead Monday’s match in Samara.

“The players who are in best physical condition will play, as per the advice of our medical team. We do not plan to purposely rotate our line-up,” he said during the press conference.

The game is expected to be tightly balanced, with Uruguay blessed with a smattering of world class players such as Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani and a history of strong World Cup performances, and Russia delivering more emphatic performances at the tournament itself.