Click here to get details on text alerts to your mobile

Goalkeepers
Igor Akinfeyev (CSKA Moscow)
Vyacheslav Malafeyev (Saint Petersburg)
Sergei Ovhinnikov (Lokomotiv Moscow)
Defenders
Alexander Anyukov (Samara)
Alexei Bugayev (Torpedo Moscow)
Dmitry Sennikov (Lokomotiv Moscow)
Roman Sharonov (Kazan)
Vadim Yevseyev (Lokomotiv Moscow)
Midfielders
Yevgeny Aldonin (CSKA Moscow)
Dmitry Alenichev (FC Porto)
Vladimir Bystrov (Saint Petersburg)
Rolan Gusev (CSKA Moscow)
Marat Izmailov (Lokomotiv Moscow)
Andrei Karyaka (Samara)
Dmitry Loskov (Lokomotiv Moscow)
Alexander Mostovoi (Celta Vigo)
Vladislav Radimov (Saint Petersburg)
Igor Semshov (Torpedo Moscow)
Alexei Smertin (Portsmouth)
Forwards
Dmitry Bulykin (Dynamo Moscow)
Alexander Kerzhakov (Saint Petersburg)
Dmitry Kirichenko (CSKA Moscow)
Dmitry Sychev (Lokomotiv Moscow)

Click here to check standings

Oleg Romantsev's side had failed dismally at the 2002 World Cup leading to his replacement as coach by Valeri Gazzaev. The new man wasted no time implementing several squad changes including replacing Viktor Onopko with Yegor Titov as captain. It was supposed to herald a new era for the Russians. However, by the time of their play-off success against Wales in November 2003, it was Georgi Yartsev and not Gazzaev that would lead the team to glory.
Irish woe
Gazzaev had begun with a 1-1 friendly draw against Sweden in August 2002 and followed that up with an emphatic 4-2 home victory against the Republic of Ireland in their first Group 10 qualifier the following month.
Back to business
Next up was supposed to be a trip to Georgia on 12 October but floodlight failure in Tbilisi saw the game abandoned at half-time. Normal service was resumed four days later in Volgograd, however, as Albania were beaten 4-1.
Standards slipping
In February 2003, Russia won an invitational friendly tournament in Cyprus, beating the hosts 1-0 and seeing off Romania 4-2. However, they slipped up in when their qualifying campaign resumed in March, losing 3-1 in Albania. Things went from bad to worse in April, when Georgia won 1-0 at home against the Russians in the match rearranged from the previous October.
New coach
June brought a potentially decisive meeting with group leaders Switzerland. Russia had a terrible start by falling two behind after 15 minutes but the visitors rallied to a 2-2 draw thanks to Sergei Ignashevitch's double. Despite such a comeback, all was not well in the Russian camp and a 2-1 friendly defeat by Israel in August led to Gazzaev tendering his resignation.
Captain courageous 
Yartsev was placed in temporary charge and instantly made changes, bringing back several men rejected by his predecessor and reinstating Onopko as captain. It led to instant results in September, with Russia drawing 1-1 in the Republic of Ireland and winning 4-1 at home against Switzerland. The latter success, featuring a Dmitri Bulykin hat-trick, moved the Russians into second, one point behind the Swiss and ahead of the Irish on head-to-head record. A play-off spot was secured the following month with a 3-1 home success against Georgia.
November rein
The November play-offs paired Russia with Wales, with Yartsev's men forced to travel for the second leg. The trip to Cardiff became even harder after a goalless draw in Moscow but a goal from Vadim Evseev was enough for a famous 1-0 victory and a place at the finals in Portugal.