Russian international and Zenit St. Petersburg midfielder Igor Semshov (pictured left) believes Chelsea’s Germany skipper Michael Ballack should be given particular attention as Russia prepare to host the Germans in their World Cup 2010 qualifier this weekend.

“Ballack more than any other German player made a mark on us in our last encounter: he had a direct hand then in Germany’s two goals. But only the game will answer the question as to the real dispositions, the real chances of each team, and who is capable of what…” Semshov said at the unveiling of a new Nike football boot.

Well, here’s how things look in the FTBL rating: Ballack’s rating is almost double that of Semshov (160.12 points against 88.25). But this could be explained by the difference in category between the English Premier League, where the German plays, and the Russian Premier League, where the Russian plays for Zenit (Category 5 against Category 3).

Both players lost rating points in our system in their last matches: in Zenit’s 2:1 win over Dynamo Moscow, Semshov lost 6.25 rating points, was substituted in the 60th minute and failed to beat the 11-point plank he had in game. He set the plank in the 4:0 win over FC Khimki in Russian League action.

Ballack likewise dropped 5 rating points despite Chelsea’s 2:0 home win over Liverpool. He failed to beat the plank he set in the Blues’s 3:0 win over Burnley in Premier League action.