England will focus on getting the result they require rather than be distracted by the artifical pitch when they meet Russia in their crucial Euro 2008 qualifier on Wednesday.
Coach Steve McClaren and defender Rio Ferdinand stated they would make no excuses ahead of the game at the Luzhniki Olympic stadium, where an England win would guarantee them a place in next summer’s finals.
While the pitch may give the Russians an advantage, Ferdinand says the English players are not worried about the surface.
“We have trained on an artificial pitch in the past few days so we know what it is all about,” he said.
“We haven’t played on the pitch before but it is not something we will be worrying about. We are just going to play our own game.
“Russia have more experience on the pitch in Moscow, but I think our quality can come through, we will apply ourselves and make sure we win the game in the right manner.”
Coach McClaren has also dismissed talk that the pitch could impair England’s performance, declaring he had “absolutely no worries about it at all”.
A win for England will also guarantee them their spot ahead of their final match against group leaders Croatia at Wembley next month.
