Russia might as well not bother showing up for their Euro 2008 semifinal clash against Spain if they play anything like they did in their group stage hammering by the Spanish, coach Guus Hiddink said on Tuesday.

The Dutchman, who has found a way of plugging the holes in the defence that leaked so badly in that first match and coaxed the team into playing a stylish attacking game, vowed there would be no repeat of that 4-1 drubbing on Thursday.

“We have tried, of course, to improve. The team has learnt a lot in a very short time. We hope to continue that.” He said it would be a test of his inexperienced players whether they could continue riding on the momentum they had built up with their stunning wins over Sweden and Netherlands.

“That’s always the question if the team with not as much experience can continue,” he said. “It’s always the advantage of more experienced teams like Spain; they are used to playing tough matches every four or five days.”

“It will be a clash of two teams who both like to play football and that’s interesting”, he said. “That’s the big win of this tournament; the teams that like to play football are through.”