(Adds English FA reaction)
MOSCOW, July 11 - Moscow's Luzhniki Olympic
stadium will stage Russia's Euro 2008 Group E qualifier against
England on a synthetic surface, the Russian Football Union (RFU)
said on Wednesday.
"Yes, the match will be played at Luzhniki and it is now
99.9 percent certain that it will be held on a synthetic pitch,"
a spokesman for the RFU said.
The prospect of Steve McClaren's England side playing such a
key qualifier on an unfamiliar surface will mean special
preparations for his team.
"We will prepare accordingly, whether on a synthetic surface
in England or by making full use of the training opportunities
pre-match," an FA spokesman said.
"We have experts at the FA who are looking into this and
they will find an identical surface to train on in England."
Initially, the Russians also included the 30,000-seat
Lokomotiv arena as a possible venue for the Oct. 17 qualifier
before deciding on the 84,000-seat Luzhniki, the site of next
year's Champions League final which will be played on grass.
"(Russia coach) Guus Hiddink also wanted the England match
to be played on natural grass but I don't think it would be
possible to lay out the grass turf in time for the game," the
RFU spokesman said.
The two sides also meet at Wembley on Sept. 12.
Croatia lead Group E with 17 points from seven matches, with
Russia in third place on 15 points and England in fourth, a
point behind.
(Additional reporting by Trevor Huggins in London)