Rio unconcerned by pitch factor

Ferdinand accepts the Russians will have greater experience of the surface going into a game which could see England book their place in next summer's finals if they collect all three points.

But he said: "If you sit and think about the pitch too much, we are going to be feeling negative before the first whistle goes. "Russia might be more experienced at playing on the pitch in Moscow. But at the end of the day, I think quality will come through, and we hope we can apply ourselves and make sure we win the game in the right manner."

He added: "We have trained on an artificial pitch at times already during the past few days, so we know what it is about. We've not played on the pitch before but it is not something we will be taking into big consideration. We will be going out there just to play our own game."

Ferdinand is hoping to be joined in the England defence by captain John Terry who flew out with the squad on Monday night as he recovers from his knee injury.

As one of England's most senior players, the Manchester United centre-half will relish the challenge of trying to combat the threat of the Russians - who he recognises will pose a bigger threat than at Wembley.

He could have inexperienced full-backs either side of him in Joleon Lescott, who is in contention to make a full debut, and Micah Richards, facing the biggest test of his promising career.

Ferdinand is nonetheless confident, saying: "I take that responsibility every game anyway. I don't think it matters whether there are people out of the squad or out of the team. I think that is when the team should come together, no matter what, whether the team is at full strength or below that."

Wayne Rooney scored his first competitive goal for his country in three and a half years during Saturday's 3-0 win over Estonia, and Ferdinand is confident he will build on that breakthrough.

He said: "It was a great boost for Wayne to get that goal. I think 'Wazza' was one of our best players on Saturday. He ran his socks off, produced moments of brilliance that not many people can do. He showed why the England team miss him when he is not playing."