Field check: will Spartak be able to return to the fight for high places
Spartak head coach Dejan Stankovic has no excuses left. The away match against Rubin is probably the last chance for the red and white coach to hold on to his position. The confrontation between Lokomotiv and Rostov looks no less interesting. The capital club will try to extend its leadership, and Nikolay Komlichenko will try to upset his former team. In case of loss of points, Loko can bypass Krasnodar and CSKA.
Rubin – Spartak
In mid-July, Dejan Stankovic said at a press conference that his team needed two or three players to make progress. Later, he focused on the defender's position. In general, it is already hard to believe that the root cause of Spartak's failures lies in personnel. In terms of level, the red and white squad is, if not the strongest, then certainly one of those in the entire league.
The Serb is bringing just two newcomers, and both are defenders. Ilya Samoshnikov, by the way, discovered himself in Kazan, so this voyage is definitely special for him. In general, the newcomer must solve the problem on the flanks — either he will displace Denisov, or he will strain Ryabchuk (Samoshnikov can play on any of the edges). But it can hardly be called an upgrade of defense, because it's no secret that Ilya is primarily about supporting the attack, so in theory he can come out on the left in an attack.
With Carlos Cuesta, who is being hired from Galatasaray, everything is not so simple either. It is unlikely that both will be released in the next round, but now the Spartak bosses have a clear conscience — Stankovich has powerful players in every line by the standards of the RPL, it's time to give results.
Rubin is a serious exam. Yes, Kazan has recently been defeated by CSKA in the RPL (1:5) and Zenit in the Cup (0:3), but they didn't look so bad in both matches. And the victory over Rostov should give confidence. Rashid Rakhimov's team is traditionally strong at home, and this is bad news for Spartak, which needs success here and now.
Zenit – Dynamo Moscow
Zenit entered the match of the last round with Spartak with only one native of the Russian Federation in the squad — goalkeeper Denis Adamov. Douglas Santos also has a passport, of course, but you probably get the message. In the coming years, St. Petersburg residents will have to redesign the cage a lot — the new format of the limit on foreign players will leave no other options. In any case, Sergei Semak will have to bet on the Russians in the match with Dynamo Makhachkala, including because of the red Douglas.
And this is a crucial moment for many Zenit players. Adamov performed well against Spartak and is close to becoming number one on a permanent basis; Mostovoy is losing the competition to young Pedro; Sobolev needs to push through the wide backs of Cassierra and Luciano. But there is also Glushenkov, who has thoroughly settled on the bench.
I can't even remember when Zenit was so independent of the Russians in the squad. But this is a sport, and all of the above have only one thing to do — prove their worth. Dynamo Mx looks weak on the road — only one win in 10 matches in 2025. So Semak has a reason to give a chance to those who haven't been on the field much lately.
Lokomotiv – Rostov
In recent weeks, Lokomotiv has been mentioned most often in connection with Batrakov's name. The brisk start of the railwaymen is, of course, impressive, but when they write that Manchester City is showing interest in a young Russian football player, this overrides other information channels. At such moments, it's important to cool your head and focus on the present moment. And this applies not only to Alexey, but also to the entire Loko. In the last round, the red-greens lost points against Baltika, and they only escaped in the end— which is an alarming signal.
But things are much worse for Rostov. The offense is particularly disappointing: in five rounds, only three goals were scored (only Sochi had fewer) and 46 shots on goal (fourth place from the end). Komlichenko's departure hit the attacking potential hard: It turned out that both Mohebi, Golenkov, and newcomer Suleymanov were tight with goals. Komlichenko scored in the last round, but he is highly likely to lose his place at the start to Vorobyov, who has served his suspension. But meeting with former partners in any case promises to be emotional.
Dynamo – Pari NN
The blue and white team under Valery Karpin entered a steep peak - the team's results over the past month are rapidly turning from unsatisfactory to catastrophic. 0-4 against Krasnodar in the Cup, 1-3 against CSKA in the 5th round — this is already a wake-up call. It is significant that in both meetings Dynamo was beaten up already at the end of the first half, and the second turned into a formality. Dmitry Gafin, the head of the club's board of directors, expresses his support for the head coach, and indeed, only the start period has passed, it's too early to draw global conclusions, but it's obvious that Dynamo needs to do something with both defense and attack.
Osipenko's return to action may balance the back line in the future, but Anton Miranchuk is called upon to solve the problem ahead. He has already arrived in Moscow and is expected to sign a contract in the near future. It is difficult to predict whether he will come out against Paris NN, but it is obvious that the team sorely lacks creativity and class, which Anton is just able to provide.
The Nizhny Novgorod team is a suitable opponent to break the black streak, especially since Dynamo is playing at home. Well, if there is a loss of points here, it's even scary to imagine what categorical judgments their fans will make about the blue and white.
Krylia Sovetov – Krasnodar
There is every reason to expect vigorous football in Samara. And it's not just Krasnodar, which is gaining momentum and gradually getting closer to the first line (the gap between Lokomotiv is only one point). Murad Musayev's team trampled Dynamo and Sochi with a total score of 9:1, which is a serious reason for optimism. The Bulls' defense should also be praised — they have the best performance of the season in both missed goals (3) and allowed xG (2.62).
Krylia Sovetov is a serious test of strength, especially since they have already beaten Krasnodar in the Cup. The Samaritans have recently slowed down, they cannot win three matches in a row, but at the same time they managed to score in each of the seven matches this season. We continue to closely monitor the progress of Rakov, who has already given us several miracle goals this summer. If the young striker manages to break through Krasnodar's defensive formations, it will be a serious bid for the title of one of the best players in his position in the entire league. I wonder if Loko already regrets that they leased a promising guy?
CSKA Moscow – Akron
Recently, CSKA lost to Akron in a penalty shootout in the group stage of the Cup, but this will not significantly affect the match play of the next round. The reason is simple: the Army team is now one of the most well-coordinated teams in the championship. Forward Musaev says that he feels a special unity in the team, and this is felt when looking at the field. With a very limited application, CSKA makes the most of each game — yes, it tries to decide the outcome in the first half, after which it switches to energy-saving mode. But who cares if there is a result?
In the near future, Fiorentina striker Beltran, who has already been excluded from the Violets' bid, should join the red-blue squad. If you can quickly integrate him into the squad, the army team can add a decent amount of quality and statistics at other people's gates.
In the meantime, we have to deal with the unyielding Akron, which is great at "drinking the blood" of the grandees. I can't say that Tolyatti's performances are very impressive, but they are above Zenit, Dynamo and Spartak in the table. We are waiting for a huge number of power duels between Dzyuba and Diveev — Igor, after the departure of Willian Rocha, should now become the leading defender of CSKA, on whom a lot will depend this season.
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