Capello keeping his cool
© AFP
Russia coach Fabio Capello is taking nothing for granted as his team seek to keep their 100 per cent record in FIFA World Cup™ qualifying alive against Azerbaijan tomorrow night. Russia top Group F by three points from Portugal after a perfect start, and they are heavily favoured to collect three more points in Moscow.
However, Capello wants his team to retain their focus and edge against a team who have one point from two matches, having drawn at home with Israel. "Nine points is a great start, but it's only the beginning of the qualifying," Capello told the Rossiya 2 television station.
"It's a good start, very important in terms of psychology, important for the team and the fans. But now we must fully concentrate on Tuesday's game.
"Many think that this game would be easy, but I have a different opinion. I'm sure that Azerbaijan is an opponent who deserves some respect... We have to decide the outcome of the game in the opening minutes, instead of thinking that we'll score sooner or later. Russia would need to be aggressive and persistent from the start."