These three clubs secured crucial victories on Saturday, defying early season expectations. While experts laud the reigning champion`s might, a sports commentator from Business FM particularly highlighted Rostov`s disappointing start to the season.
Rostov`s season began poorly, marked by the departure of coach Valery Karpin and two key players, Komlichenko (now at Lokomotiv) and Osipenko (at Dynamo). Rostov suffered its third consecutive defeat, losing 1-4 at home to Krylia Sovetov. Vadim Rakov, a former Lokomotiv player, scored twice for Samara, bringing his Russian Premier League goal tally to four. Lokomotiv also celebrated its third consecutive win, defeating Pari NN 3-2 in Grozny, as Nizhny Novgorod`s arena is still under construction. The weekend`s main event saw Krasnodar and Dynamo, considered contenders to challenge Zenit`s dominance, clash on the Kuban riverbanks. Krasnodar made a strong impression, securing a fair 1-0 victory with Cordoba`s spectacular late goal from outside the box. Dynamo, lacking skilled defenders due to injuries, saw their coach Karpin refuse to use this as an excuse:
“There`s no point in blaming the absence of certain players. Krasnodar played well; they prevented us from doing what we intended and planned to do. We`ll figure out why, but that`s the overall picture. We weren`t preparing for Krasnodar to have more possession, but if they took it — or if we gave it away! — that’s another matter.”
This marks Krasnodar`s sixth consecutive RPL victory over Dynamo. Sunday`s key match features Zenit against CSKA, with the Army men potentially introducing 20-year-old midfielder Verde, on loan from Argentine club Unión de Santa Fe. Spartak is also set to play today at 13:30 in Samara against Akron Tolyatti. Spartak is facing strong criticism after a 0-3 loss to Baltika in the previous round, with questions raised about the coach`s decisions, such as why Ugalde and Barco didn`t play together. Renowned Russian coach Dmitry Pyatibratov commented on Match Premier:
“Honestly, this Spartak team is completely baffling to me. When I was coach of Fakel, I played against Spartak four times in one season. They were a `running` team with a magnificent selection of players. It’s absolutely shocking to me how Ugalde might not play for Spartak, a team that has Barco! It`s the coach`s decision, I won`t argue, Stanković understands his team better than I do. But we`re simply asking: how is it that Spartak goes out and loses 0-3? This team, even with ten men, should defend properly against any opponent. They should create attacking chances and not `fall apart`.”
Despite the criticism, Spartak remains resilient and active in the transfer market. Gedson, the club`s most expensive newcomer at 27 million, has been registered with the number 83 and is ready to debut against Akron. Spartak is also reportedly eyeing two defenders from Europe`s `Big Five` leagues: Marseille`s Argentine captain Balerdi and Torino`s Saúl Coco, known for his positional awareness despite his height. A victory in Samara would propel Stankovic`s team from tenth to fifth place. Historical data favors Spartak, with wins of 4-0 at home and 3-2 away last year.
The current league standings are:
| Club | Points |
|---|---|
| Lokomotiv | 9 |
| Krylia Sovetov | 7 |
| Krasnodar | 6 |
| Akron | 4 |
| Baltika | 4 |
| Rubin | 4 |
| Zenit | 4 |
| Dynamo | 4 |
| CSKA | 4 |
| Spartak | 3 |
Matches between Zenit and CSKA in the Russian Championship continue to be remarkably low-scoring affairs. Spectators last witnessed more than two goals in games between these two teams three years ago. Since then, the participants in today`s battle at Gazprom Arena have played ten matches, collectively scoring only 11 goals.
