“We’re learning Saudi Arabia’s way of playing. I don’t know the surnames, but #7 midfielder [Salman Al-Faraj] is great, the midfield line in general is great, their center back is quite good, he’s a skilled guy. We’ve noticed that our rivals like counterattacking a lot, they’re very fast… We already have a certain plan for the game,” Dzyuba told journalists.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Thursday, with hosts Russia set to face Saudi Arabia in the opening match at the 81,000-seater Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, before taking on Egypt and Uruguay who have also been drawn in Group A.