Extra police for Russia's qualifier in Estonia

TALLINN, March 23 (Reuters) - Estonia will have extra police on duty for Saturday's Euro 2008 qualifier with Russia following a recent rise in political tensions, officials said on Friday.

Estonia and Russia have been arguing over Estonia's plan to remove a Soviet-era World War Two monument from the centre of Tallinn which Moscow has said would insult the memory of soldiers who fought against Nazism.

"Because of new EU and UEFA rules on security for international football games, there will be more police, but we are just trying to do what is necessary for any international game held in Tallinn," said Harrys Puusepp, a spokesman for the North Tallinn Police prefecture.

Puusepp added that the authorities were not expecting trouble from the more than 900 Russian supporters expected to arrive in Estonia to watch the game in the 10,000-seat stadium.

Russia are second in the seven-team group with eight points from four matches, two behind leaders Croatia. Estonia are effectively out of the running after losing their opening three qualifiers.

However, the home team will be especially fired up for a match against the Russians both for wider historical reasons as well as trying to avenge a 2-0 defeat in St Petersburg earlier in the campaign.

Russia will also be missing six key players.

Goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeyev, midfielder Igor Semshov and defenders Alexei Berezutsky and Denis Kolodin have pulled out through injury and illness.

Veteran playmaker Yegor Titov has left the team citing family reasons while striker Pavel Pogrebnyak is suspended leaving Russia's Dutch manager Guus Hiddink with a seriously depleted party.

Madis Hallimae of an Estonian fans group said supporters planned to hold their traditional march to the stadium for the match but were not looking for trouble.

The Estonian soccer association said no extra security was planned for inside the stadium. All measures would be the same as for matches against England, Croatia or Israel.

The soccer federation has also advised that "symbols of states which no longer exist" are not allowed in the stadium, referring both to the flag of the former Soviet Union and to that of Nazi Germany, an association which angers some Russians.

Estonia regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 after what it sees as 50 years of occupation.

Post-Soviet tensions with Russia have emerged over the status of Estonia's large Russian-speaking minority, which Moscow says Estonia discriminates against. Estonia has denied this strongly.

(Additional reporting by Gennady Fyodorov in Moscow)