Russia and Spain have equal chances of winning the upcoming round of 16 match if the hosts are well-prepared, former Russia striker and head of scouting department at FC Krasnodar Maksim Buznikin said.
The game between hosts Russia and 2010 World Cup winners Spain will take place at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Monday (12am AEST).
"We know our leaders well, and it's important how they play today and how the whole team plays as well. And if there has been good preparatory work ahead of this particular match, I think, the odds are 50 to 50," Buznikin said.
Buznikin also said that since Russia did not have stars like Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina's Lionel Messi, team effort would be very important.
He added that Russia should accept the fact that Spain would control the ball most of the match and the team should try to take whatever chances they were going to have instead of competing for possession.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 14 and will continue until July 15, with the matches being played in 11 cities across Russia.
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