This game is extremely important for the Russian team for several reasons. First, Russia is currently in fourth place with four points, and a loss or draw will significantly hurt its chances to place second in the group and play for a spot in the World Cup finals. Second, the team needs to exonerate itself to the fans after losing 7-1 to Portugal last month. Third, the future of Russia's coach, Georgy Yartsev, depends on the results of the game because he is very close to being fired.
When asked what he thought of the Estonian team, Yartsev sarcastically said he saw it as the favorite.
"Because we have been smeared recently," he said, "we should be really afraid of the Estonians. I think Estonia is the favorite in this match."
Estonia's head coach Jelle Goes said that even though Yartsev's remark had flattered him, he was under no illusions as to who was the stronger team (Estonia lost 0-4 to Portugal in Lisbon, and the Portuguese only took the lead in the last 20 minutes of the game).
Goes noted that a draw would not necessarily be a good result for his team.
"I will be disappointed if we miss a lot of chances on goal," he said. "If everything is reversed, however, the conversation will be different."
Estonia has a good chance of winning because many Russian players are injured (Andrei Arshavin, Vladimir Bystrov, Sergei Ovchinnikov, Sergei Ignashevich and Alexander Anyukov).
