The Germans lead Russia by a point in Group Four and will clinch a place at next year's finals with a win in Moscow while a draw would also leave them in the driving seat as they host eliminated Finland in their last match in Hamburg.
The home team need victories in both of their remaining qualifiers to assure themselves of a trip to South Africa. They travel to Baku to take on last-placed Azerbaijan on Wednesday.
"He's a genius and has an unbelievable efficiency. We must stay wide awake and never let him get away," Germany coach Joachim Loew said of the slightly-built forward.
The stadium's artificial turf has caused problems for a number of visiting teams in the past.
Russia have not played at Luzhniki since the shock 2-1 win over England in a Euro 2008 qualifier two years ago that paved the way for their qualification at England's expense.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, who scored both Russia's goals against England in that match, is likely to start on the bench, however, as he has not seen much action for his London club in recent weeks.
"It would be great to see a full house again. We've already secured a playoff spot so we can take more risks in the attack," the Dutchman said. "This is the most important game of the year for us and we'll do whatever we can to get a win."
"We know that our chance is in Moscow and we want to take it," Loew said. "Russia had an excellent Euro 2008 and have been performing well since then. They haven't won all their games convincingly but they've always got the necessary points."
Germany captain Michael Ballack shared his coach's view.
"The German team has a special mentality," said the Chelsea midfielder. "We always concentrate in the important games. We are sure that we will qualify directly."
