The 27-year-old has already scored three goals for his side since the beginning of the tournament and is level with Spain's striker Diego Costa.

"What if I scored against Spain? Nothing special. I think life would go on, not a lot would change. The main thing is that we advance. I would be happy if I score, but I would be happier if we advanced further," Cheryshev said.

Cheryshev plays his club football for Spanish side Villarreal and has spent most of his life in Spain, as his father Dmitri moved to the country when Denis was just a boy.

The round of 16 match between Russia and Spain will take place at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium on Monday morning AEST.