Russia are going into their home tournament, which they will kick off with a match against Saudi Arabia on Thursday, on the back of seven straight winless games, after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Turkey on June 5.

"You worry, and we do not need to worry, we are doing our job. We are reaching a certain level. We already had glimmers [of good form] in the match against Turkey. Now we have become fresher," Cherchesov told journalists.

He added that defender Sergei Ignashevich "is a real fighting unit who unites the team."

Ignashevich, who will turn 39 in July, retired from international football following UEFA Euro 2016 but was called up to head coach Stanislav Cherchesov's preliminary World Cup squad in May to replace injured Rubin Kazan defender Ruslan Kambolov.

Russia will host its first FIFA World Cup from June 14 to July 15, with the fixtures set to be played at 12 stadiums across 11 cities.