Slovakia v Russia: Slovakia need one point from their final qualifier against Russia tonight to reach the World Cup play-offs. Slovakia and Russia have 22 points, five behind group winners Portugal, but the Slovaks, who have never reached the finals in their 12 years as an independent state, boast a better goal difference than their opponents.

Slovak have been boosted at club level by Artmedia Bratislava's participation in the Champions League and coach Dusan Galis has urged fans to make the game a sellout which could tip the balance in his side's favour.

The sides drew 1-1 last month in Moscow and the Slovaks expect Russia to throw caution to the wind. "We definitely need at least one goal," said forward Lubos Reiter. "We need to come up with something in the middle while playing solid in the back."

Slovakia will be without midfielders Marek Mintal, who has a broken foot, and Vratislav Gresko, who has a knee injury.

Russia coach Yuri Syomin said the match would be the most important in his career. "We all know how big this is," said Syomin, who led Lokomotiv Moscow to two Russian league titles in the last three years before replacing Georgy Yartsev as midway through the campaign.

Russia welcome back captain Alexei Smertin and fellow midfielder Yevgeny Aldonin from suspension and the pair are likely to form a defensive nucleus in central midfield. Central defender Sergei Ignashevich and winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, who were rested on Saturday, should return.

SLOVAKIA (probable): Kamil Contofalsky; Marian Had, Miroslav Karhan, Roman Kratochvil, Peter Hlinka; Radoslav Zabavnik, Karol Kisel, Szilard Nemeth, Stanislav Sestak; Ivan Hodur, Robert Vittek.

RUSSIA (probable): Igor Akinfeyev; Vasily Berezutsky, Alexei Berezutsky, Sergei Ignashevich, Alexander Anyukov; Alexei Smertin, Yevgeny Aldonin or Rolan Gusev, Dmitry Loskov, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov or Marat Izmailov; Andrei Arshavin, Alexander Kerzhakov.

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy).