Russia recall keeper Ovchinnikov
 |  Ovchinnikov has been in good form for his club side this season |
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MOSCOW, Russia -- New Russia coach Yuri Syomin has recalled keeper Sergei Ovchinnikov for the World Cup clash with Latvia and friendly in Germany.
Ovchinnikov was dropped by Syomin's predecessor Georgy Yartsev after refusing to join the squad for February's friendly against Italy.
But the 34-year-old Lokomotiv Moscow keeper has been in great form, keeping a clean sheet in seven of his club's nine league matches this season.
Syomin has also recalled versatile Paris St Germain midfielder Sergei Semak for the first time in almost two years.
Semak, who joined the French Ligue 1 club from CSKA Moscow in January, has not played for the national side since a friendly against Israel in August 2003.
Syomin included six players from his former club Lokomotiv and another six from UEFA Cup winners CSKA Moscow.
However, he has dropped injured Spartak Moscow midfielder Dmitry Alenichev and Samara's Andrei Karyaka, who has struggled in recent matches.
The June 4 qualifier against Latvia in St Petersburg will be Syomin's first game in charge since replacing Yartsev last month following a string of poor results.
The Russians then travel to Germany to take on the 2006 World Cup hosts in a friendly four days later.
Russia have an uphill battle to qualify for the World Cup finals as they trail European Group Three leaders Portugal and Slovakia by three points midway through the qualifying campaign.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Sergei Ovchinnikov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Vyacheslav Malafeyev (Zenit St Petersburg), Igor Akinfeyev (CSKA Moscow)
Defenders: Sergei Ignashevich, Vasily Berezutsky and Alexei Berezutsky (all CSKA Moscow), Vadim Yevseyev and Dmitry Sennikov (both Lokomotiv Moscow), Denis Kolodin and Alexander Anyukov (both Krylya Sovietov Samara)
Midfielders: Alexei Smertin (Chelsea), Sergei Semak (Paris St Germain), Dmitry Loskov and Marat Izmailov (both Lokomotiv Moscow), Yevgeny Aldonin and Yuri Zhirkov (both CSKA Moscow), Igor Semshov (Torpedo Moscow), Denis Boyarintsev (Spartak Moscow), Vladimir Bystrov (Zenit St Petersburg)
Forwards: Alexander Kerzhakov and Andrei Arshavin (both Zenit St Petersburg), Dmitry Sychev (Lokomotiv Moscow), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Spartak Moscow).
