Russia manager Stanislav Cherchesov has suggested that he will inherit 'godlike status' if he guides his side past Spain and into the last eight of the World Cup.
The tournament hosts face a daunting task on Sunday afternoon as they take on the 2010 winners at the 78,000-capacity Luzhniki Stadium, aiming to feed off the feel-good factor from the home fans.
Former Spartak Moscow goalkeeper Cherchesov helped dump Fernando Hierro's Real Madrid side out of the Champions League in 1991 with a 3-1 aggregate win, and the now-Russia boss is hoping for a similar outcome in this latest showdown with his opposite number.
"At that time, Spanish teams were favourites but, to use a Russian expression, 'anyone can be God if he tries to'," he told reporters at his pre-match press conference. "Fernando Hierro was a good player and now he's a good coach.
"We won against the Spanish team and on hopefully on Sunday we can repeat that success and prove our worth. It's clear that this is a play-off, a life or death match, only one team can go through. It's not a pressure but there is a responsibility, Spain feels it and Russia feels it. If you lose you're out."
Russia have failed to beat Spain in six meetings since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, but they did earn a 3-3 draw in the most recent encounter seven months ago.
Daniel Lewis
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