Toshack undecided over Gabbidon

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Toshack is concerned with Gabbidon's lack of match-fitness and believes using the 30-year-old against Guus Hiddink's Russians may be too much of a gamble. A final decision will be made nearer kick-off, but Peterborough's Craig Morgan is on standby for the Group Four encounter.

Toshack said: "Danny has missed the best part of two years, and he's only played two games since."

He added: "His match-fitness is not what we would have liked. But we do not have enough experienced players around to maybe think of not using him.

"It is a difficult situation for an important match like this. But the quicker Danny does get games under his belt the better for us and his club.

"Danny is 30, and still has plenty of football left in him. Whether or not we play him against Russia, I don't know.

"He is not as match fit as we would want. But we do need him and his experience now and in the future. But I still have not decided whether he will start the game, even though it is good to have him back and playing."

Toshack will make changes from the young side that won their last qualifier in Azerbaijan in June.

"Some of the lads who did so well in Azerbaijan will not play this time, I have spoken to them and they have a right to be disappointed," he said. "But we need experience against a very good Russian side. This is the toughest group, I feel, with two of the top half-dozen sides in the world.

"So we need people like Gabbidon, James Collins, Sam Ricketts and Craig Bellamy who did not play in Azerbaijan."