MOSCOW _ Guus Hiddink will make his competitive debut as Russia coach on Wednesday when his team faces Croatia in a European Championship qualifier.

Hiddink, who agreed to take over the team before guiding Australia to the second round of this year's World Cup, led Russia to a 1-0 win over Latvia in a friendly last month.

Both teams will be missing starters for Wednesday's match at Lokomotiv Stadium, the start of both teams' qualifying campaign for the 2008 European Championship.

Russia will be without injured midfielder Alexei Smertin, defender Vasiliy Berezutskiy, striker Alexander Kerzhakov and playmakers Yegor Titov and Dmitry Loskov. Defender Sergei Ignashevich is also in question with a foot injury.

"The team is missing it's key players and there's nothing good in it," Hiddink said. "They all could have made a starting lineup."

Hiddink said he hoped Ignashevich will be able to play.

"We really need him in this match," said the Dutchman, who led the Netherlands to the World Cup semifinals in 1998 and then repeated that feat with South Korea in 2002.

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic dropped strikers Ivica Olic, Bosko Balaban and Darijo Srna for skipping training and staying out late at a nightclub.

Bilic decided not to replace the three suspended players, leaving Croatia with only three strikers _ Ivan Klasnic, Eduardo Da Silva and Mladen Petric.

"Their behavior really left me no other choice," Bilic said.

Hiddink will be facing Croatia for the second time in three months. Australia drew 2-2 with the Croats in the first round of the World Cup in Germany.

"The Croatian team has changed a lot because it has a new coach now," Hiddink told Russian daily Sport Express. "And their game will be different."