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Running the preview in chronological order was the natural way to compile the players, although Group A is the polar opposite of a “group of death”.

Nevertheless here are my five players who could stand out in Group A.

Alan Dzagoev – Russia

Dzagoev currently plays his domestic football for CSKA Moscow. The little attacking midfielder has already played just under 100 games for CSKA and is still only 21.

Dzaoev has the pace and vision to sit in behind Pavlyuchenko and create the goals to see Russia into the Quarter Finals.

If Dzaoev plays to his potential expect a host of top European clubs to be in line for his signature.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos – Greece

One of many Papadopoulos’ in and around the Greek team. This one Kyriakos is a strong defender who is equally adept in playing as a holding midfielder. Kyriakos signed for Schalke last Summer from Olympiakos

Currently not yet a permanent fixture in the Greek squad but should he be called up he will be one to look out for.

Petr Cech – Czech Republic

An easy option I know, but in a group where games will be tight you need a goalkeeper you can rely on and Cech is a great keeper.

Not in the best of form this season for Chelsea but a lot of that lies to the poor defensive displays from André Villas-Boas’ men.

If Czech Republic are to progress from the group they will need their big players like Cech, Milan Baros and Tomas Rosicky to stand up and be counted.

Robert Lewandowski – Poland

The Borussia Dortmund forward, still only 23, is a goalscorer. I would put my mortgage on Lewandowski being Poland’s top scorer in the tournament.

Quick, strong and a cool finisher, the Polish forward has a cracking record in international football.

A goal every three games can’t be argued with.

Igor Akinfeev – Russia

Any Football Manager player will know the Russian ‘keeper. Whether you bought him, tried to lure him to your club or sworn at him when he has had a blinder against your side, Akinfeev had a FM reputation.

Akinfeev is a brilliant shot-stopper and commands his box well. In a group Russia should really win, they have a good backbone of the side in Akinfeev, Vasali Berezutskiy, Yuri Zhirkov and Andrei Arshavin and should they all perform they will no doubt be in the Quarter-Finals.

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Arsene Wenger will this summer attempt to lure CSKA Moscow keeper Igor Akinfeev to the Emirates as the Arsenal boss looks to find an reliable first choice custodian.

Last summer Wenger failed to land Fulham veteran Mark Schwarzer and then saw his original first choice keeper Manuel Almunia make a series of errors that ultimately cost him the starting spot which was then handed to Lukasz Fabianski who showed a marked improvement on his displays of last term. However the Polish international then suffered a shoulder injury that will keep him out for a long period of time.

With Vito Mannone reportedly set to leave the club due to a lack of first team opportunities the Gunners turned to youngster Wojciech Szcz?sny who up until yesterday’s Carling Cup blunder had looked very stable. Wenger will now push to bring in an experienced established keeper to put behind his back-line and this search has led to Russian international Akinfeev.

The 24 year old CSKA Moscow man has a great deal of experience for a player of his age and has just completed his eighth season in the first team at the Luzhniki Stadium and is reportedly ready to make the move away from Russia.

Manchester United are also said to be interested in bringing in Akinfeev as a long term replacement for Edwin van der Sar but Wenger will hope to land the £10m rated goalie who has a great deal of top level European experience to go with his years of service in the Russian Premier League.

The Arsenal manager has also been strongly linked with a move for Liverpool’s Spanish international Pepe Reina as well as Schalke’s Manuel Neuer.

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Sir Alex Ferguson is preparing a summer move for CSKA Moscow keeper Igor Akinfeev as the Manchester United boss prepares for life after Edwin Van der Sar as the Dutch veteran moves nearer to hanging up his gloves.

Ferguson has been linked with a number of potential replacements for the Van der Sar but moves for the likes of Manuel Neuer and David De Gea appear to be stalling so the Scot has set his sights on experienced Russian international Akinfeev.

The 24 year old goalie has just completed his eighth season at CSKA, during which time he has secured three Premier League titles and a mountain of other achievements and has hinted at a chance of a new challenge and the talented keeper would jump at the chance of a move to Old Trafford.

With the Russian season in its close season Sir Alex may be looking to secure a deal in January rather than waiting for the summer when CSKA will be back in full swing again. Akinfeev would be a fairly pricey replacement for Edwin Van der Sar, valuations estimated from £10-15m, but given the players vast experience in relation to his age, such a price tag is fully justified.

Manchester United have already sealed the deal to bring in Danish international Anders Lindegaard but many believe that the former Aalesund is seen as a back up with the likes of Tomasz Kuszczak expected to leave the club.

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Zenit St. Petersburg are lining up an audacious move for Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech , according to Russian sources.

And according to the report, Chelsea themselves are after CSKA Moskva ‘keeper Igor Akinfeev as a possible replacement for the 28-year-old Czech.

24-year-old Akinfeev is deemed one of Europe’s best goalkeepers. He made his debut in the Russian national team at the age of 18, and has cemented his place between the posts for his country.

Akinfeev commands his box well, is self-confident, has amazing instincts, great aerial ability and is strong in one-on-one situations. (IMScouting)

This source appears to believe that Carlo Ancelotti would consider selling Petr Cech after a few average displays this season, but that seems a tad foolhardy given that the Czech international is still recognised as one of the best in the business, which is not to say that CSKA man Igor Akinfeev isn’t impressive, which of course he is, but some would argue he hasn’t got the edge on the three time Premier League title winner.

Cech is closing in on 300 appearances for the west London side and you could probably count the errors he has made on the fingers on two hands and it seems highly unlikely that he would sold and at 28 year he still has a great deal to offer the Blues so regardless of how impressive his potential Chelsea replacements are, I think it is safe to assume the former Rennes and Sparta Prague man will be around at the club for some time to come.

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Manchester United are apparently considering a move for CSKA Moscow keeper Igor Akinfeev. The talented Russian international has long been considered a possible long term replacement for veteran Edwin van der Sar and Sir Alex Ferguson may well be leaning towards the possibility of making an offer for the 24 year old.

Speaking of the keeper last year the Old Trafford boss stated “I have to say he is a fantastic goalkeeper.
“He is athletic, with a powerful build, and his distribution his good.” and as a result there was much speculation that a move could be made for the Moscow man but at the time Ferguson was quick to state he was happy with the options he had at the club.

Since then however, Ben Foster has been offloaded to St Andrews’ and clearly first choice van der Sar is not getting any younger and may well call it quits at the end of this season, by which time he will have turned 40.

Even though Akinfeev is just 24, a baby in goalkeeping years, he has amassed a great deal of experience at both club and international level. After eight seasons in the CSKA first team he may feel the time is right for a new challenge, not least because he has already the domestic league on three occasions as well as a UEFA Cup triumph back in 2005.

A move for the keeper would however not come cheap with some valuations believing he could cost as much as £12m, such is the standing of the highly rated keeper.

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Igor Akinfeev has set his sights on a move to either Arsenal or Manchester United as he looks for a new challenge away from Russia.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper, who has already made 40 appearances at international level, attracted admiring glances following his performances for CSKA Moscow in last season’s UEFA Champions League.
He has been linked with a switch to Old Trafford for some time, with current United No. 1 Edwin van der Sar drawing towards the end of his career.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have been tipped to bring in a new shot-stopper this summer and Akinfeev has spoken to compatriot Andrey Arshavinabout the club.

Akinfeev admits he would be keen to join one of the Premier League giants, having heard glowing reports about Arsenal from Arshavin.

“Arsenal and Manchester United are two of the very best clubs in the world,” Akinfeev told the Daily Star Sunday.

“If both of them are going to be looking for keepers this summer – or even the next summer – then of course I am interested. (Sky Sports)

The CSKA Moscow man looks destined to leave his Russian club after seven years of first team service and a move to Old Trafford may well be on the cards. Sir Alex Ferguson is known to be a fan of the 24 year old who has a vast array of experience and has a very safe pair of hands and could well be an ideal replacement for veteran Edwin van der Sar.

Having offloaded Ben Foster to Birmingham City and seemingly not being too keen on Thomas Kuszczak as a sound first choice starter, a new keeper has been high up on Man United’s list of transfer targets this summer and the likes of Artur Boruc (now at Fiorentina) and Manuel Neuer were repeatedly linked with a move to the Premier League side.

Akinfeev is clearly enamoured by the interest shown by United and could be purchased for around £8m and would surely be a useful signing that the club would be very interested in sealing.

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OK so just got back from White Hart Lane and I am obviously buzzing with excitement and before I delve into the latest internet mutterings linking us with every footballer in the known universe I have a few things to impart about today’s game. One, and you won’t believe this, guess who I have in goal in my Fantasy team, yes Wigan ‘keeper’ Chris Kirkland and secondly guess who I recently removed from my Fantasy football team, yes Jermain Defoe, but do I care, do I hell!

Lets face it something happened to Wigan today, they didn’t just have an off day defensively, they had what will probably be their worst display of their combined playing careers. Their defence was shocking and will have Alan Hansen reaching for the Valium but credit to Defoe, he is a lethal finisher and one of the most instinctive strikers in Europe. If you give him the ball and place him 10-12 yards out with a defender to beat for pace and a keeper to blast the ball past then nine times out of ten he will do so.

Anyway back to the run down of recent wild speculation. Well the rumour relating to the swapping of one former Spurs man, Michael Carrick, for a current favourite, Luka Modric, has reappeared across the web and personally I don’t see if happening in a month of Sundays. Sir Alex won’t want to sell the England man and Harry Redknapp thinks the world of our Croatian midfielder, as we all do, so lets just say that any such move is highly unlikely.

We have then also found ourselves looking at bringing in various keepers, which at least makes some sense given Carlo’s recent bike crash, so there is the cheap solution, Ben Foster (dodgy as hell in my book), or the ludicrously expensive one, Igor Akinfeev who is somehow valued at £25m! Now don’t get me wrong the Russian is a damn good keeper but that valuation is clearly a little too much for a keeper who hasn’t been tested in any top notch European league.

The Guardian reports

Bolton are willing to pay £7m if they beat off the rival efforts of Tottenham, Everton and Stoke City to steal the heart of Celtic’s Scott Brown

Harry has professed his admiration for the Scottish international before but nothing came of it previously but then we could perhaps do with another central midfield option and the former Hibs man could be a relatively cheap squad filling alternative.

So all in all we are as always reportedly after every one able to kick a football, but do we need them? Well not really. The win today solidifies our place in the top four and I don’t want to place too many eggs into baskets before they hatch but given the tough games we have already had to overcome thus far, we are doing remarkably well at present and the game next week at Aston Villa will be a very good indicator of just what we could achieve this season and I will personally be laying a tenner on Jermain to get a double hat-trick in that one and rest assured I have placed him back in my fantasy side whilst I simultaneously say au revoir to Mr. Kirkland.

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Manchester United encouraged to step up interest in goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev
Manchester United have been encouraged to step up their interest in Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev following CSKA Moscow’s decision to listen to offers for the 23-year-old in January.

With Edwin van der Sar approaching his 39th birthday on Oct 29, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has started the search for a long-term replacement for the Dutch goalkeeper. (Telegraph)

With jury well and truly out on Ben Foster It is not surprising that Sir Alex is trawling Europe for a long term replacement for veteran Edwin Van der Sar. Igor Akinfeev is a top notch keeper and at just 23 he has already achieved a great deal. In his six years at CSKA he has won the Russian title three times and the UEFA Cup and has been a regular in a hugely successful international set-up.

He is a confident customer and would surely be one of the first names on Ferguson’s wishlist and if indeed his Russian club are willing to listen to offers for the £14m rated goalie then it does seem that this transfer has potential.

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Manchester United are eyeing up Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev as they prepare for life after Edwin van der Sar. Sir Alex Ferguson is not convinced by Ben Foster, and has set his sights on the 23-year-old CSKA Moscow man. (Eurosport)

It appears that Sir Alex is not that keen on Ben Foster as a ready made replacement for when Edwin Van der Sar hangs up his gloves and this summer Man United have been linked with many top level keepers who they deem worthy of the number one spot.

Igor Akinfeev is a hugely experienced keeper who seems like a pretty safe keeper and one who may well jump of a chance to move to the Premier League champions. Foster still has youth on his side because at 26 he is still relatively young in goalkeeping terms.

The former Stoke City man doesn’t appear to command a great deal of confidence from his back four and is capable of many elementary mistakes that could end up costing the club valuable points. His kicking needs massive improvements as does his cross collecting.

Edwin has done well at the club and will be sorely missed when he does retire and was probably the first keeper to ably fill the role since Peter Schmeichel, even though Fabian Barthez did okay during his spell he was capable of some terrible errors of judgement. Ferguson knows how key the keeper role is and will be thinking long and hard about who he may approach. One name that seems like a step in the right direction could well be Celtic’s Artur Boruc.

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