Russia coach Dick Advocaat said Monday that Russia mustn't rise to what he called Andorra's "provocative style" of play Tuesday night as they gun for a victory that will seal their Euro 2012 qualification as Group B winners.
Russia, two points clear of Ireland at the group's summit, need only draw at home to its minnows Andorra, who have lost all nine of their games, to gain automatic passage to Ukraine and Poland next year.
The hosts must keep a level head, Advocaat warned, if they are to avoid a repeat of four years ago, when captain Andrei Arshavin was expelled for lashing out at an Andorran defender he later accused of provocation in their final qualifying match for Euro 2008.
"Andorra play in a provocative style that frustrates opponents," Advocaat said, characterizing their game as "anti-football."
"We can't blame them for it, because objectively that's their level at the moment," he said.
Advocaat has called Lokomotiv Moscow utility player Renat Yanbayev into the squad due to suspensions from Friday's 1-0 away win in Slovakia for right back Aleksandr Anyukov and midfielder Konstantin Zyryanov; and an injury to winger Yuri Zhirkov.
A double strike from Pavel Pogrebnyak helped Russia eked out a 2-0 win in Andorra in a nervy opening to their qualification campaign in September 2010.
Russia will look for more goals this time round, spurred on by the thought that an avalanche could secure a place in the pot of second seeds at the finals. Advocaat claimed that thought is far from his players' minds.
"We don't need to obsess about how many goals to score, that could work against us," he said.
Russia have racked up another five wins from their nine games, leaving them a point away from qualification.
Ireland are the only side who can deny Russia the top berth, though that would require an unlikely Andorran victory in Moscow coupled with a win for the Irish at home to Armenia. Whoever wins in Dublin is guaranteed the second-place playoff spot.
Andorra, for their part, have scored only once during the campaign - in the 3-1 defeat to Ireland in September 2010 - and conceded 19 times.
