2019 Channel One Cup. Russia - Sweden

On December 12, the senior Russian national team will face Sweden in the first match of the Channel One Cup - the second stage of the 2019/2020 Euro Hockey Tour.

Last time, Russia managed to defeat Sweden at the Karjala Cup in Finland, edging past their opponents in a dramatic penalty shootout.

"All of the players in this team are key members of their respective clubs in terms of playing time and the statistics. However, even in a team which contains Olympic and world champions, we have debutants. The team is strong, despite the injury issues. We always pay a lot of attention to our own competition," said national team general manager Roman Rotenberg at yesterday's press briefing.

"We have made some changes to the squad. This is down to injuries. However, we are constantly monitoring the situation, and Bogdan Yakimov is one of the replacement players who has performed really well at club level. He replaced Sergei Andronov. The two Tkachyov forwards? They have gained form in recent matches. Such players like Sergei Plotnikov, Andronov, Ivan Telegin and Viktor Antipin weren't called up because they are carrying injuries. The captain at this competition will be Evgeny Ketov, while Vadim Shipachyov, Vyacheslav Voynov, Nikita Nesterov and Anton Burdasov form his assistants," said head coach Alexei Kudashov when asked about the team's preparations.

Puck drop at the Legends Park in Moscow is scheduled for 20:00 local time. Match-Strana and 1TV.ru will broadcast live in Russia.