From somewhere in his statesman’s repertoire, and with the eyes of the world upon him at the Luzhniki Stadium, Vladimir Putin found himself having to dredge up the expression that conveys sympathy - the alternative being much too impolite for his guest from Saudi Arabia. In the VIP seats, the two of them were engaging in a spot of friendly diplomacy over the Fifa president Gianni Infantino, while on the pitch things were getting frankly embarrassing for the man from Saudi Arabia. Among the many roles His Excellency Crown Prince Mohammad Bin-Salman fulfills for his nation is that of minister of defence and he would be entitled to ask his Spanish coach Juan Antonio Pizzi why he elected to embark on this World Cup campaign without one of his own. This turned into the host nation’s perfect start to the World Cup final, a first half injury to Alan Dzagoev aside, when their hitherto misfiring side scored five against a Saudi Arabia team so hopelessly at sea that even the Russians ended up feeling sorry for them. At first it seemed that Saudi Arabia had a team that was reasonable in possession but without a cutting edge, and then as time went on it was clear that they lacked a defence, a decent goalkeeper or any kind of robustness of character as things went from bad to worse. It was a low-key start to the tournament in terms of the opening ceremony when the greatest offence spotted by the video assistant referees would have been the middle-finger Robbie Williams inexplicably flicked at a camera as he raced through his greatest hits. There was little that spoke in particular of Russian culture until Putin stepped up to the microphone and welcomed the world to rapturous applause from the home fans. What followed was, all told, a match of low quality between one mediocre team and another that was so bad it was tempting to check Asian qualifying to try to figure how on earth they made it this far. Saudi Arabia were poor, conceding two in injury time added on at the end of the game, and the second post-match question to Pizzi was whether he was likely to be sacked before the next game against Uruguay.<doc-sep>ALSO READ: 8 things to know about FIFA World Cup opening game - Russia vs Saudi Arabia ALSO READ: Russian coach ignoring critics ahead of World Cup opener MOSCOW: Last-minute adjustments are taking place at the Luzhniki Stadium. The advertising boards are being properly fitted, broadcasting equipment hauled around and the second floor media centre suddenly looks pretty crowded.On Wednesday, in a cramped press conference room on the ground floor, Stanislav Cherchesov holds court. Alexander Samedov, the most experienced right winger in the Russian national team, looks totally disinterested in the proceedings.Perhaps, like many of his compatriots, the long wait for actual action to begin has resulted in attention fatigue. The fans, on the streets and on social media, have expressed their displeasure with the ‘Sbornaya’, the name they use fondly for their national team.Thirty-six summers have passed since Igor Belanov won the Balon d’Or following which the country changed its name thrice to keep pace with the geopolitical revisions. The last occasion when they won a continental title was in 1960 when the world knew it as Soviet Union. Twenty eight years later, Belanov’s brigade made the finals of the European championships again, only to be bombed out by Marco van Basten’s volley and Rudd Gullit’s omniscient brilliance.Even in Euro 2008, Andrei Arshavin, Yuri Zhirkov and Roman Pavlyuchenko had showed that all was not lost. The Russians made the semifinals and Arshavin won overnight fame undoing the Dutch almost single-handedly.Lucrative transfers to the English Premier League was all the Russian trio could show for as their stint in England had little to write home about.Since that night in Vienna when Arshavin worked wonders to mystify the Dutch, Russian football is in doldrums.Fan ire and expectation are issues that modern coaches disregard publicly. Former Legia Warsaw coach and currently in charge of the hosts, Cherchesov isn’t any different. “We will win because we want to,” he said ahead of their opening campaign against Saudi Arabia , deemed as the contest between the lowest ranked teams in the tournament.It’s not the kind of start that is expected to raise the temperature of the World Cup straightaway.Maybe to lift the mood of the disgruntled local press, Cherchesov resorted to humour. When the microphone crackled and died, he said, “The moment head coach speaks, the mike fails to work.” He turned out to be the first one who laughed.Spartak Moscow wing back Samedov, set to play in his second World Cup, was not trying so hard. “We would like the people of Russia to be proud about our team and we will try to make them proud as well,” he said in a grim baritone, obviously not in any mood for frivolity. Reminding that they have studied Saudi Arabia’s game, he said, “They are a technically well-trained side which likes to keep possession. We won’t let them do so.”Samedov’s dourness might be a perfect reflection of what’s going inside the dressing room, even though the coach lauded the spirit of bonhomie and camaraderie. Depleted by injuries particularly to Zenit Petersburg striker Alexandr Kokorin in March, Cherchesov’s biggest hope rests with his goalkeeper, Igor Akinfeev. The CSKA Moscow goalkeeper has kept 18 clean sheets in 28 games all season.Being hosts without being favourites is hardly an attractive position to be in and the Russia team are twitching in their boots. Juan Antonio Pizzi’s Saudi Arabia are not in great form either but Mo Salah’s Egypt and Luis Suarez’s Uruguay won’t let the Russians sleep till the league phase gets over.<doc-sep>
The 2018 World Cup kicks off Thursday when host Russia faces Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium at 11:00 a.m. ET. Russia enters the match as a -230 money-line favorite, meaning it would take a $230 bet to win $100, while the over-under for total goals scored sits at 2. Before you wager on the opening match of the 2018 World cup, you need to see who football expert Thomas Rongen is backing. He's the former assistant coach and chief international scout for the U.S. men's national teams and was the former head coach of the U.S. men's Under-20 team. He also was named MLS coach of the year in 1996 for the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Rongen has broken down every World Cup roster and locked in his pick at SportsLine for Russia vs. Saudi Arabia. Rongen has identified the X-factor that will determine the outcome based on his inside knowledge of these players and coaches. The match will start following an opening extravaganza at the host stadium that is expected to include approximately 500 performers, including gymnasts and dancers. International pop star Robbie Williams will perform alongside rising Russian artist Aida Garifullina. Then, the focus will turn to the pitch. Rongen knows both clubs have faced adversity in preparations for the 2018 World Cup, but they have their sights set on a hope-inspiring victory. Russia enters Thursday's 2018 World Cup opening match as the lowest-ranked of the 32 teams in the tournament. They've failed to advance past the group stage of any tournament since 2008. Russia's last victory came against South Korea (4-2) in an international friendly in 2017. Since then, they've gone five straight games without a victory. The Russians are hoping the excitement and backing of their supporters can propel them to victory against Saudi Arabia on home soil. And if they fail to win, their path to victory in the World Cup 2018 will be difficult. Rongen also knows Saudi Arabia has fired two coaches since qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2018. Juan Antonio Pizzi was recently named to lead the team, whose second-round exit in 1994 is its best finish. Pizzi takes over after failing to get Chile to the World Cup through the qualifying stage. So will Russia christen the World Cup with a victory before its home crowd, or will Saudi Arabia spoil the party? Visit SportsLine now to see Thomas Rongen's exclusive Russia vs Saudi Arabia pick, all from the Dutch-American soccer coach who served as chief international scout for the U.S. men's national team.