Russia, who knocked out the 2010 World Cup winners Spain from this summer's tournament in the Round of 16, will face Croatia in Sochi later today with the kick-off set for 21:00 Moscow time.

"We hope for victory. Making it to the last eight is already a great achievement for the Russian football, but I think that our players have gained confidence during the tournament. I expect to see a tough match today and I hope that Olympic Sochi will bring us luck," Zhukov told journalists.

He added that the 2018 World Cup in Russia was the most interesting World Cup that he had ever seen.

"This tournament is a grand event not only for our country, but for the whole world. I think there's never been such an interesting tournament, and I've been watching World Cups since 1966," Zhukov said.

The Honorary President added that the 2018 World Cup was "the best World Cup in history in terms of organization", according to the public opinion.