Ovchinnikov axed from Russia squad
 |  Ovchinnikov has paid the price for not playing against Italy last month |
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MOSCOW, Russia -- Russia coach Georgy Yartsev has dropped veteran goalkeeper Sergei Ovchinnikov from a 23-man squad for this month's World Cup qualifiers at Liechtenstein and Estonia.
Yartsev ditched Ovchinnikov, Russia's number one at Euro 2004, after the 34-year-old refused to join the squad for last month's friendly against Italy.
He has also axed Dynamo Moscow striker Dmitry Bulykin, CSKA Moscow midfielder Rolan Gusev and Terek Grozny defender Roman Sharonov.
The European Group Three game against Liechtenstein is on March 26, with the trip to Estonia four days later.
Russia, on seven points from four matches, are in third place, six points behind leaders Portugal with a game in hand.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Vyacheslav Malafeyev (Zenit St Petersburg), Igor Akinfeyev (CSKA Moscow)
Defenders: Sergei Ignashevich, Vasily Berezutsky, Alexei Berezutsky (all CSKA Moscow), Vadim Yevseyev, Alexei Bugayev, Dmitry Sennikov (all Lokomotiv Moscow), Alexander Anyukov, Denis Kolodin (both Krylya Sovietov Samara)
Midfielders: Alexei Smertin (Chelsea), Dmitry Alenichev (Spartak Moscow), Dmitry Loskov, Dmitry Khokhlov, Marat Izmailov (all Lokomotiv Moscow), Yuri Zhirkov, Yevgeny Aldonin (both CSKA Moscow), Andrei Karayka (Krylya Sovietov Samara), Vladimir Bystrov (Zenit St Petersburg)
Forwards: Dmitry Sychev (Lokomotiv Moscow), Alexander Kerzhakov, Andrei Arshavin (both Zenit St Petersburg), Dmitry Kirichenko (FK Moscow).
