Euro 2016: Russia vs Wales - 5 players to watch out for

#5 Artem Dzyuba

Russia’s forays forward will depend on the form of Artem Dzyuba

Since this is a must-win fixture for the Russians, a lot will depend on their towering forward Artem Dzyuba. Standing at 1.96 metres tall, Dzyuba is one of the tallest players featuring at Euro 2016. The Zenit St. Petersburg forward, is know to use his height and physique to good effect and is excellent at holding the ball up. Often, when the Russian midfield is devoid of inspiration, they resort to long passes to Dzyuba, which has been an effective attacking outlet.

While his displays at Euro 2016 have been enterprising, Dzyuba is yet to find the back of the net. Dzyuba made his senior international debut in 2011 and has scored 9 goals in 20 appearances. 8 of those 9 goals came during Euro 2016 qualifying, making a crucial factor to Russia’s planning going forward.

A regular fixture up front since Leonid Slutski’s appointment as coach of Russia, Dzyuba will be hoping to add to the 9 goals he has scored for Russia. With Dzyuba as the focal point of their attack, Russia can hope for some joy from set-pieces and decently directed crosses into the box.