Group A - Russia v New Zealand
Saturday, 17 June 2017
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, 17h00 CAT
Russia and New Zealand will get the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup underway when they meet in the Group A opener at Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, on Saturday. Though the Confederations Cup is generally held in much lower esteem than the World Cup, it is still an important tournament for the host nation’s team as they prepare for the global showpiece in 12 month’s time.
Stanislav Cherchesov’s Russia will be making their debut in the Confederations Cup and come into this clash on the back of a couple of strong showings in friendlies. They defeated Hungary 3-0 last week before playing out a 1-1 draw with Chile (who are in Group B of the tournament) this past weekend.
As for New Zealand, this year marks their fourth appearance at the Confederations Cup and they will be targeting a first-ever victory at the tournament. Their three previous showings in 1999, 2003 and 2009 have seen them record one draw and eight defeats from nine matches. Anthony Hudson’s side have not enjoyed a great preparation for the tournament, losing two friendlies 0-1 to Belarus and Northern Ireland since the start of the month.
Russia and New Zealand have never met in an official fixture before, though the former’s predecessors - the Soviet Union - defeated the All Whites 3-0 in a 1982 World Cup match in Malaga, Spain. A repeat of that result is exactly what Cherchesov’s side will be aiming for as they target a fast start on their Confederations Cup debut.
Head-to-head - Russia v New Zealand, all competitionsMatches played 1
Russia wins 1
New Zealand wins 0
Draws 0
Russia goals 3
New Zealand goals 0
Confederations Cup recordRussia- N/A, they are making their debut
New Zealand- 3 previous appearances (1999, 2003, 2009)
- Best result: group stage
- Record: P9 W0 D1 L8 GF2 GA24
Form guide (last five results, most recent first, all competitions, including friendlies)Russia - DWDLW
New Zealand - LLWWD