Fabio Capello has recalled Pavel Pogrebnyak to the Russia squad to face Israel and Northern Ireland after dropping him for his first friendly, the Russian F.A. said Thursday.
Reading forward Pogrebnyak played under Dick Advocaat at Euro 2012, but was not included in either Capello’s provisional or final squads for a friendly against the Ivory Coast last week.
Pogrebnyak is among 37 players in the provisional squad to face Israel away on September 7 and Northern Ireland at home three days later, while Sporting Lisbon’s Marat Izmailov is a prominent absentee.
“To be honest, making it into the provisional squad for the national team was unexpected for me,” Pogrebnyak told R-Sport.
“I’m really pleased about that because I always come to the Russia squad in a good mood and with huge desire.”
There is also a recall for Zenit St. Petersburg’s 36-year-old midfielder Sergei Semak, who last played for Russia in 2008 and was even tipped as a possible Russian Football Union president earlier this summer.
The squad will be cut next week, a statement on the union website said.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Vyacheslav Malafeev (Zenit St. Petersburg), Anton Shunin (Dynamo Moscow), Vladimir Gabulov (Anzhi Makhachkala).
Defenders: Alexander Anyukov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Alexei Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow), Vasily Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow), Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Georgy Shchennikov (CSKA Moscow), Taras Burlak (Lokomotiv Moscow), Andrei Yeshchenko (Lokomotiv Moscow), Yuri Zhirkov (Anzhi Makhachkala), Arseny Logashov (Anzhi Makhachkala), Roman Sharonov (Rubin Kazan).
Midfielders: Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (Spartak Moscow), Dmitry Kombarov (Spartak Moscow), Vladimir Bystrov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Igor Denisov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Sergei Semak (Zenit St. Petersburg), Konstantin Zyryanov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Viktor Faizulin (Zenit St. Petersburg), Roman Shirokov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow), Denis Glushakov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Magomed Ozdoev (Lokomotiv Moscow), Alexander Samedov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Alan Kasaev (Rubin Kazan), Alexander Ryazantsev (Rubin Kazan), Oleg Shatov (Anzhi Makhachkala).
Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal), Artyom Dzyuba (Spartak Moscow), Vladimir Dyadyun (Rubin Kazan), Alexander Kerzhakov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Alexander Kokorin (Dynamo Moscow), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Lokomotiv Moscow), Pavel Pogrebnyak (Reading), Fyodor Smolov (Anzhi Makhachkala).
