What did Dmitry Kuznetsov say ahead of Russia's match against Uzbekistan?

11 November 2026, 22:192 min read7

Former USSR national team midfielder Dmitry Kuznetsov shared his thoughts ahead of the friendly matches the Russian national team faces in November against Uzbekistan and Venezuela. In an interview with "RB Sport", the former footballer spoke openly about what he expects from Valery Karpin's charges.

"Russia must act as the stronger side on the pitch"

According to Dmitry Kuznetsov, the Russian national team should never relinquish the initiative on the pitch in matches against both opponents. To achieve this, it is primarily required to act reliably in defense and make rational use of opportunities in attack.

"I expect quality football from the Russian national team, not just beautiful football. I want our players to make the right decisions in episodes that arise in front of the opponent's goal and to play reliably in defense, because every game starts from that. In my opinion, the national team should enter the pitch against Uzbekistan and Venezuela as the stronger side," said Dmitry Kuznetsov.

Match and team parameters	Details and information
Expert opinion	Dmitry Kuznetsov (former USSR national team midfielder)
Match with Uzbekistan	Will take place on November 12 in Tashkent
Match with Venezuela	Will be held on November 17 in Krasnodar
October results	Iran (2:0), Namibia (6:0), and Nigeria (3:3)
International status	Russian national teams and clubs have been suspended from official competitions since the spring of 2022

"This friendly match, which will be uncompromising and interesting between the two teams, is expected to provide fans with moments of truly intense football."

Upcoming important tests and the team's condition

As a reminder, the friendly match between the national teams of Uzbekistan and Russia will kick off tomorrow, November 12, in Tashkent. Following that, the Russian national team will travel to Krasnodar to face representatives of Venezuela on November 17.

For information, in October, the Russian national team played three control matches, defeating Iran 2:0 and Namibia 6:0, while the match against Nigeria ended in a 3:3 draw. Given that Russian national teams and clubs have been excluded from official international competitions since the spring of 2022, such friendly matches have become the primary training ground for the team.

Do you think, as Dmitry Kuznetsov said, the Russian national team can take the initiative away from home against Uzbekistan, or will Fabio Cannavaro's students maintain their advantage in front of their own fans? Leave your thoughts in the comments!