Russia squad for 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia announced 

The Russian national team coaching staff have announced the list of players who will prepare for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers with Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia.

The main list includes the following 27 players:

Goalkeepers: Anton Shunin (Dynamo), Soslan Dzhanaev (Sochi), Yury Dupin (Rubin).

Defenders: Georgy Dzhikia (Spartak), Yury Zhirkov, Vyacheslav Karavaev (both Zenit), Aleksandr Zhirov (Sandhausen, Germany), Fedor Kudryashov (Antalyaspor, Turkey), Roman Neustadter (Dynamo), Ilya Samoshnikov (Rubin), Andrey Semenov (Akhmat), Igor Smolnikov (Krasnodar), Mario Fernandes (CSKA).

Midfielders: Ilzat Akhmetov (CSKA), Aleksandr Golovin (Monaco, France), Rifat Zhemaletdinov (Lokomotiv), Roman Zobnin (Spartak), Aleksey Ionov (Krasnodar), Daler Kuzyaev, Andrey Mostovoy, Magomed Ozdoev (all Zenit), Reziuan Mirzov (Khimki), Aleksey Miranchuk (Atalanta, Italy), Daniil Fomin (Dynamo).  

Forwards: Artem Dzyuba (Zenit), Anton Zabolotny (Sochi), Aleksandr Sobolev (Spartak).

The match against Malta will take place on 24 March in Ta' Qali and will start at 22:45 Moscow time. The game with Slovenia will be held in Sochi on 27 March at 17:00. Stanislav Cherchesov's team will then face Slovakia on 30 March in Trnava at 21:45.

The Russia squad will start preparing for the matches on 18 March in Sochi.