"They [Saudi Arabia] are a skillful team, who love to play [football]. Our goal is to deprive them of the ball... Artem [Dzyuba] has found the right words, he was speaking on behalf of the team. We want our team to be surrounded with more positive vibes. But it's us who need to create this positivity, and that's what we'll try to do," Samedov told journalists.

On Tuesday, Russia striker Artem Dzyuba said that he wanted the whole country to “unite” and support the national team at the tournament.

Russia will host its first-ever FIFA World Cup from June 14 to July 15 in 11 cities across the country. The host nation will face Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the tournament at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Thursday, before also facing Egypt and Uruguay in their Group A.