this is eighty years in the making and the twenty eighteenth world cup in russia the biggest event in football kicks off in moscow in a matter of hours. from across the globe have been out in force in the russian capital reveling in the festive atmosphere. we'll have a unique insight and analysis from one of the best minds in the game manchester united manager. hello from moscow this thursday june the fourteenth you can get up to speed on

global development at r.t. dot com now the day the football fans worldwide have been waiting for with the start of the twenty eighteen feet for world cup now just hours away over the coming weeks we're going to bring you the best of the atmosphere from across all of the host cities in the biggest country in the world right now for the next thirty minutes let's join our teams top team in the heart of the russian capital. yes it's a big hello from the heart of. the heart because the football world cup is. in russia. over the course of the next four weeks and we have got one of the biggest names in one of the most successful managers in the help guide us through it joining us now along the studio overlooking red square is once you know it's. great to see you. well first of all. my pleasure now before we start talking about the

football and for those of you don't know we've got a tremendous view overlooking red square here and the atmosphere has been brilliant over the last couple of days i've seen it become a sea of color packed with fans from all over the world i know you've only just arrived pretty much but have you had a chance to go out and about and have a look i had a chance and. i played so many times in mosul i played in moscow. with all my clubs i always get a team from from moscow and this is a different moscow this is where i like to say when football goes from a sporting event to a social event this is not a sports event this is a social event and really is only comparable with. olympic games there is no other tournament like it is there i mean for for players and for fans also literally the whole the whole world gets involved the players and

the managers we are we are professionals they come. of course with their. country. but they come also with the professional side of it they want to do well they want to win if they want to be successful they want to make history but i think the fans they they don't come just for football become for football as a social event this is absolutely amazing and beautiful show it is and when you get a chance have a look at the moscow metro because that is packed full of fans every minute of the day and i want to. show ok what gets the football in a moment in tonight's very important game russia against saudi arabia but before we do let's just introduce you to the rest of the team because they're all across russia for us i think we've got so i actually have ski stand there so the luzhniki stadium in moscow which of course will host today's opening guy who else is there in the north of the country there's an easterly. isn't the hardest in pittsburgh at

the moment a beautiful game he's got so you over the never river and then we've got partridge covering the result there so to force a very important game which shows that when i will about portugal spain being played stadium there tomorrow so will come back to them throughout the day to find out what's getting or going on and hopefully will bring you the best coverage of course of this best of all of world football so that will be a bit later on josie let's talk about tonight's match because from what i'm reading in the russian press everybody is very negative about this russian team is the worst team they've had for ages they haven't won a game in seven games but you're optimistic according to your prediction they could get a victory tonight well i think if i was. checkers of i hope by sharing his name not so not so wrong i'll be happy because. no expectations no positivity no optimism everybody expects the world

and you can be in this moment in in this hotel with this players preparing everybody for their. for their country pride for let's for that let's do it for the country let's do it for ourselves let's do it against the ones that don't believe in don't believe in so i think can be can be a good thing for them you want my personal opinion i give them my personal opinion i think there is a little bit. of an identity crisis in the russian team we are used at least i think my generation used to have. the russian teams with a certain identity i think they lost a little bit of their identity there in the search of that talent is not in men's. but they have enough they have enough to win tonight they have enough to go through the the group phase. and of course later you will get the teams more

talented with the probably the best the best teams in you know the best teams in south america and then becomes a huge a huge challenge but i would say that russia has has enough has enough to get. i would say probably the five points that you need to qualify with regard to tonight's game you expecting a close game because if you look at the face of rankings i don't like saying this that they are the two worst teams in this tournament so but this is a ranking that. i'm not real because sometimes you get you get points and you get the same t. g.'s from. you know not not really present next week. items so i don't feel too much to the ranking i look just to the fact that just so the team is not experienced in not even at the club at the club level they have some talents i watched them against against germany because i was trying to be ready for

my work. and i saw some talent some creativity is from a dynamic a but then you know you can see that the majority of the players they play the two or three teams in riyadh so they know each other very very well but they play in that competition the couple of them that went to try to get some experience in other countries like in spain for example they didn't maintain and they were not playing for real madrid or barcelona they went to eleven to for example and. move a lot of the cheese probably one of the best players there still a vent that doesn't play for the event that the russian team is not full of talent i honestly but is it the must play is that in order to compete they have also international experience at champions league level european level physically they can be stronger i think if they are problematic if they don't concede. of course that is not much creation and not fixed. thing to see

a beautiful russian team playing tonight but i expect to see a team very focused. aggressive in the right way in a positive way of of the world and they have enough to support him and to get three points which is from the mental for them sure would you expect an open game tonight or would you think it would be cagey i think russia wants to win and russia feels that the need to win if not they go to the lesser game against why we need this points and i think they have to try to do it without the need of that leicester victory so i think they will go for it but their characteristic has a team is not so much as that against austria i was i was enough to play with three in the back i don't know if they are going to be done now but there is not much creativity or attacking dynamic in the team so i think they have to be solid they have to be intelligent they have to know that she's sixty they are powerful they have to know that in the seventy's they can be dominant and scored

a goal from from their powerful players and of course i think the stadium will be a strange stadium because you expect to see a majority of russians but probably half of alf of the the stadium is just people in love with football people from sponsorships that get into that stadium but i think they will have enough support to push them and i really think i'll be really surprised if they don't win the match tonight ok we're talking about the stadium j.j. it's a beautiful stating magnificent as we say that will host the opening game of this tournament and it's been redeveloped over the years and i think we can have a look at all the work i'm sorry that's gone on over the last couple of days just to get it to talk to tonight.

it is a marvelous statement literally he stadium shows i just think the russian players will think i'm relaxed tonight i mean it's their home stadium or is there a potential there's a lot more pressure on them and i don't feel they feel relaxed i. have not been there because i never played the world cup but i've been there. in big crucial matches and you can say what you want to i never relax you always feel a little bit of that pressure and that's a very big field that extra pressure of. playing at home the opening match probably. billions watching the wrongs of the world they feel the pressure but i

think fundamentally they feel it from their own country from. their own russian citizens but what i would think too is that there will be united there will be together for true for sure the manager create a bubble around them. they are together they have their principles of of play but fundamentally i feel. they are going to be. a united team in the sense of in the sense of the war they want to do it for themselves they want to do for their country. and in this moment they feel what i call the good pressure is good you need that little bit of adrenalin you need that little bit of. a fire on your body in your brain that push you for a four high performance levels without that not possible as a manager is it more difficult to prepare your play. mentally and it is physically

because you can actually see inside their heads can you but you can see physically whether they're running well or to breath or whatever but is it difficult to replace normally used by the mental point of view. that you have the positive and the negative surprises because the way the players are prepared nowadays. there is no problem at all about their physical condition and there is no problem at all because a man has as they prepared the team i well enough by the patco point of view they know how to play the know what. their mental situation is more individual and then you have to do with the characters with the personalities that. can make a difference you need people for not to be relaxed you need people for not to be and the huge pressure you need people to be just. in that where you are ready to give everything but you are ready to be happy to be there and i think that's

fundamental for the players and managers in these occasions they have to be happy to be there they have to to feel that is that natural. for the. we get to a good game think nice but of course they will feel both sides. especially fascinating well let's check the mental state of fans showing too because we've got let's hear he's time he's done it believe he's studying for a so let's say. hi there it feels incredible to be sharing the airwaves with you both gentlemen just as it feels incredible to actually realize what's going on here seven and a half years ago on a cold december night on december third and i know this day very well because it was twenty four hours before i actually got married i was standing here reporting on russia's bit for the world cup twenty one solo. on our crew not one soul in the

press believed that we would actually get it and now it's becoming reality it says right here on the loose in the stadium the world cup twenty eighteen feet in russia the atmosphere here is absolutely electrifying a lot of fans it's something close to four hours before the kickoff of the first game but it's already crammed with fans i just took a train to the luzhniki area and it felt like i was joining a global party on that train german spanish french arabic on just one caught of that train different languages different makes and that's what it's all about obviously the world cup so for the last several days the city has been filled with fans from all over the world if you're feeling down for any reason just go to the rest area you can see for yourself everywhere right so to arabia. the guys are optimistic the guys are optimistic. you see that energy here but yesterday i went in the streets of moscow. and if you want to see more of that energy check out my

high energy report from the rest. of you in. the. breaking news moscow has been taken over by friendly forces meeting fans from all over the world and i'm here on a mission chanting as part of football culture and i want to learn chants from different parts of the world. i don't know exactly what these guys a chance to use me but i know the chap. will make them happy guyse most out of the

clothes i. am going to michigan you teach many of the egyptian chaps it was. the. ghetto not me i thought that yes i know i met a ahmed she was in the circle drop a stop drop and yes the was. to. hear how much she was coming. out. i wonder what they will charge and i. was the boss up

rugged area good. caribbean friends in moscow one of the largest representations. yet. simplest one. that i am. so you see the atmosphere it's absolutely mental now in the streets of moscow and it will obviously continue for the next few days. yes you'll thank. you when you've got a sense of the excitement is building haven't you in moscow just looking at that report you know just here as a manager as a pundit. how are you feeling about tomorrow's going down in sochi gets back. i feel that we can win we can in the end. you are right that the fan i wouldn't

be in hell if we lose again. but i will not also been having these. i think we both are going to qualify. because we have two of the strongest teams in the competition and the match tomorrow i think anything can happen we ought to go we feel confident enough to play against spain and try to win but i know that's been the quality of the class of the players they have they also feel confident that they can beat anyone so all . i think can be one of the best matches of the group phase because thinking about what it is you need to take it to the punch and at the moment what you may hear is the fact the spain set their manager yesterday just today people it's not an hour i think it's a strange situation i don't know you've been sacked the manager of

the manager second self. the way everything happened between himself and and real madrid i feel sorry for the manager that of course because the u.n. we did team for the last. two years and of course he would deserve to be we did see him but i also understand the position of. the for the regime they just gave him a new contract for the future if you through what i read because nowadays you read so many things that are not true but if you thought i read that the presence of the for the ration was informed a couple of minutes before the club makes official this strange process what i feel is that is a national team with such such a quality and such a maturity and such an understanding that the majority of the players belong to real madrid to. so long are we. top class

players with the philosophy of play that comes since movies that are going to have so many years and then. go for many years so i think the fact that he is not. on the bench and this from them do you have on the story i don't think is going to make a huge difference because the players they pick themselves they are so good the committee so good at them is so automatic that i don't think it's a huge huge problem for them ok when i see what some of the fans think show we can go to sochi now i think partridge is done in sochi for us if we can get a connection. good afternoon jos i was i already hello jos i was saying very doesn't think the spanish same way affected by events over the last forty eight hours or so how are the fans than there what's the feeling. all the feedings such e.n.d. all's i can say is hot hot hot it's thirty degrees here at the black sea resort and

it's another beautiful day here the founds they've just started to arrive which is actually where we're at the hotel where the spanish team have come in they're actually based in krasnodar but they're coming in obviously ahead of that now more than ever crunch game against portugal and the fans as a say they've gradually started to arrive here we can see if you use a match side of the hotel obviously wanting to greet their heroes but in the meantime let's tell you a little bit about what is really like i was totally surprised by it i remember it as the twenty fourteen winter olympic venue i remember it for the mansions are remembered for all the skiing events are remembered for all the medals but when you actually get here this time around what you do see apart from the sun and also the sea and also what you can see behind me the fish stadium that was the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies for the olympics but of course will be the scene then for that crunch game that group big game between portugal and spain that's one of four group matches here is what is the last sixteen and quarter final game you can actually see we really are on the edge of the black sea. one hundred metres

behind the stadium is the beach front it's all pebbles the sea is very clear it's beautiful and along as well there are there are a bars there are restaurants or places to go and last night we were actually about obviously doing research we could see what the fans would get a song for lobby so really quite gorgeous place there's also a theme park called saatchi park which is further along the way so plenty to see in day i mean if you look behind me here you can see the fish stadium also you can see that thing sticking out that was the olympic flame and last night that was listen with fountains and music was playing here in the olympic park which is a cool just park surrounded by all those arenas that we learned about at those sochi games and the fans at the moment russian but a few more spanish or portuguese fans arriving here getting a taste of what it's going to be like hearing such as and if he continues with the matches in the same way that the temperatures spain is going to be a cracking. ok thanks coco parviz there for us in sochi tomorrow night josie able get our first glimpse of renowned yeah the point you go by when your predictions when you are making them you said because of him portugal have

a chance of winning this world cup why is he so important. because the best players in all the big can make the difference i'm not saying they make i'm saying they can make the difference. and everybody knows that. for the last decade. long ago and mostly they were the best players and in the planet they did amazingly well for their clubs. they tried to force portugal want to be europe but they try to give the best of them to their countries and i think they're both arrive in this world cup probably as the last one. you think this is their last chance to win a world cup i don't see of course christiane of either physical point of view is. the superman then it can be for want. but. four more years at the highest

level to come back to the next world cup i feel i feel part of course. is younger and they can you can perfectly be in the next world cup in four years time but i would also saying that to play every week two three matches a week passed along the real madrid's league. champions league national team i think to. resist to all of that and four years later to come at the highest level i've seen card to so i think they are going to put everything in this in this world cup to try to try to finish their careers with the only thing that they don't have because no one is is a world champion and of course the careers they are having as club players to be world champion be the pinnacle of their career i can see both of them in action is

. me on saturday near moscow and it's argentina play iceland of course they're not the only. superstars of this world cup in fact we can take a look at some other. female . things they've got some big names in there seems to have never got as moon for example is playing for around. i'm in some pain despair and i think we've got our

reporter there. amongst the fans to give us a taste of. yes here in st petersburg everyone is looking forward to that first game tomorrow iran against we can over the breakdown of those two teams two very tight defensive teams you have the iranian team led of course by the portuguese coach carlos cuellar she led them to the last twelve cup in brazil in twenty fourteen and again leading them this time round and in the qualifying they were. very good defensively conceding only once in the ten qualifying games and although not the most attacking team also scoring ten in those games and they play up. mood he actually place here in russia for rubin and he's somebody who's been dubbed the iranians messi and they'll be going up against. another team with

a very good defensive record in their final qualifying group they played six games and only actually didn't concede a goal that defense being led by you ventus is messy so expect to laura's going to be tight not too many goals although i say that it will probably end up being a four drool. should be a really good game to get things kicked off here in st petersburg my mother's arabian so i'm not going to pretend to not be very biased throughout the course of the whole tournament but actually here in st petersburg with regards to the funds and on the way here even in the airport as we were flying in the moroccan in the rainy and funds in the airport during the stopover all singing songs and chanting songs at each other but all in very good nature and we've seen a number of supporters will king around the city today so amazing out. but just fun

. colombian fans argentinian festival football with people all around the world getting to know each other about each other's cultures i just enjoy what should be a fascinating football. ok thanks. you've got to head down to the league. before kickoff we got the opening ceremony and the chap playing he managed i understand robbie williams he played in a charity match once and you were the manager yeah a few times a couple of times is he any good as a player as a footballer. he's lucky that he was a phenomenal thing got a phenomenon because he was. in the career in football but what he uses is an amazing guy we'd love for the game and specially love for children in trouble and that's why he gets involved in in charity and matches playing organizing but fundamentally he's a very funny a very happy guy in love with we live in

a great affection for children in trouble that's why when when you say he's pleased i always try to say yes. great talking to you over the last half hour or so enjoy the match tonight i know you're coming back to us to talk more about how it went for the moment we're going to leave you as well you're watching our special coverage here of the world cup in our lofty studio overlooking red square we've got reporters all over the country team to keep you covered we're going to be back in a few hours time with more build up to the opening match russia against saudi arabia.

greetings and salutations here in the united states there is a lot that is right just and good but sadly there is a lot that is broken imperfect and at times downright evil and twenty seventeen one out of every seven children reported missing here in the united states was most likely a victim of sex trafficking and of those victims according to the national center for missing and exploited children eighty eight percent were in the care of child welfare services or foster care when they went missing in fact at.