Russia will have no problems reaching the finals of the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 judging by the results of the recent draw for qualifiers, President of the Russian Football Union Sergei Fursenko said.
The draw in Rio-de-Janeiro on Saturday put Russia against Portugal, Israel, North Ireland, Azerbaijan and Luxemburg in Group F.
“This group is absolutely passable, and I am sure that we will qualify,” Fursenko said in an interview with Russia’s R-Sport newspaper.
The official said it would have been much better if the Russian team faced stronger opponents, like England or Spain, to prove its potential.
“If we are going to win at this [world] level, we should be able to defeat any team,” he said.
The Russian side missed out on the 2010 World Cup finals because of the dismal performance during the qualifiers, although their opponents in the group were not very ‘tough’ either.