For the first time in six years, there`s no clear dominant team in Russian football. Zenit has been dethroned by Krasnodar as the top club. The upcoming championship features a wide-open field with at least six strong contenders, including CSKA, Dynamo Moscow, Spartak, and Lokomotiv.
An archive photo from a friendly match between Lokomotiv Moscow and Dynamo Moscow.
CSKA, the 2025 Cup and Super Cup winners, will start their campaign on Monday with an away match against Orenburg, a team that replaced Torpedo, which was excluded by the RFU Executive Committee just seven days before the season. On Saturday, Lokomotiv hosts Sochi, who are returning from the first league. Spartak will test Makhachkala`s Dinamo at the Lukoil Arena. Zenit, meanwhile, will play their first home game on Sunday, July 20th.
The Saint Petersburg club (Zenit) has learned from their interrupted championship streak. They are now determined and strategically strengthening their squad. Their new signings have so far received positive reviews, including Gerson, the 25-million-euro former Flamengo captain and midfielder, and Argentinian defender Roman Vega, an exceptional player acquired for just 8 million euros. Konstantin Kalutsky, author of the YouTube and Telegram channels «Football with Kalutsky,» offered his insights:
«He is a high-profile newcomer, a footballer considered one of the most promising in his position in Latin America. He was one of the best players for Argentinos Juniors, Diego Maradona`s former club, by the way. There are several main theories on how the new defender might be utilized. One suggests a kind of team restructuring, where Zenit might switch to three central defenders. This is because Vega can play as a left-back or a left wing-back, covering the entire flank in a three-center-back formation. Most importantly, he can also play as the third central defender, specifically the left one in that trio.»
Zenit kicks off its season on July 20th at 6 PM, hosting Rostov. Meanwhile, Valery Karpin, former Rostov coach and current head coach of the Russian national team, will make his debut with Dynamo Moscow.
Fans of the legendary club have approached Karpin with caution, as the team has historically performed best under less authoritarian coaches. Valery Georgievich is known for being quite demanding. However, one of those «less authoritarian» coaches, German Sandro Schwarz, achieved the highest points-per-game ratio in Dynamo`s post-Soviet history. Interestingly, Karpin has an excellent personal relationship with Schwarz, and they even share a preferred tactical formation. Here`s what the new Dynamo coach, potentially a future champion-maker, had to say:
«My relationship with Sandro has always been excellent. I remember when we were at training camps in Turkey, we had a beer together and discussed Dynamo`s and Rostov`s play. He asked about Rostov`s game, for example, how I managed to get the wingers to press so effectively. We had a long discussion about the nuances of building the 4-3-3 formation, specifically how it looked for both Dynamo and Rostov, and what our differences were. We sat there for a long time, then had a second beer, and parted ways on great terms. And now Sandro has already congratulated me on the appointment and written: `Finally, I`ll see 4-3-3 at Dynamo.`»
Karpin`s Dynamo, likely employing their 4-3-3 formation, will face Baltika in the league`s opening match on Friday evening. I`m not convinced the favorites will easily overcome this formidable «nut» from Kaliningrad, who have returned to the top division. The visitors have had an impressive pre-season transfer window, and their capabilities were evident in a recent friendly match against Zenit in Saint Petersburg, which Baltika won 2-1.
Lastly, the reigning champions, Krasnodar, now hold that title for the next year. The «Bulls» will play their first match away from home on Sunday at 3:30 PM in Kazan against Pari NN. The reason for this away fixture is that the Nizhny Novgorod arena will only be ready after renovations by September.
Currently, the Russian championship ranks 13th globally in terms of financial strength, with an estimated value of 940 million euros. Beyond the «Big Five» European leagues, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, and the USA all boast financially stronger leagues. The English Premier League remains at the top, with a total valuation of nearly 12 billion euros.
