Russians join plea for grass

England's prayers

that they will not have to

play their crucial

European Championship

qualifier in Russia on a

plastic pitch could yet be

answered.

Russia coach Guus

Hiddink has added his

voice to the growing

clamour for a grass

surface when the nations

clash at the Luzhniki

Stadium in Moscow on

October 17.

But if the combined

pleas of Hiddink and the

English FA do fall on deaf

ears, Steve McClaren will

ensure England are well

prepared by lining up his

old club Manchester

United's artificial training

facilities in the build-up

to the fixture.

Hiddink chose the

85,000-capacity venue for

its atmosphere. The artificial surface will be

replaced by grass when

the stadium hosts the

Champions League final

next May and Hiddink

would also like the

Russian FA to consider

laying a natural surface

before October.

He said: "A change of the

pitch will be made and

there is a desire that the

change will be completed

before the England

match."

Russia general manager

Joop Alberda added: "It's

our last home match and

Guus and I believe it's

logical for the match to be

played in the biggest and

most comfortable

Russian ground. It's

nothing to do with the

possibility of the English

side being against it."