Preview: Russian Premier League. Matchday 19
With the opening of the August transfer window, Rubin’s European adventures, and yet another burst of activity among the officers of the Russian FА, the Premier League life began humming even louder than before. In addition to the grand fight for the top spot this matchday promises us several interesting debuts and some lively discussions of the next wise project developed by the office of Sergey Fursenko.
The weekend starts with the showdown between the leaders, CSKA and Zenit at Arena Khimki. The pert Anzhi will test the jaded Tom and present Balazs Dzsudzsak in the starting squad. Dynamo who have been destroying all of their opponents lately will exchange punches with the prickly Kuban Rubin will go to Nalchik, Spartak will take Demy de Zeeuw to Grozny and put him against their former defender Martin Jiranek, while Lokomotiv will try to continue their streak without goals conceded against the league’s worst attack of Krylia Sovetov.
Match of the day
CSKA Moscow – Zenit St. Petersburg. Any intrigues of this weekend are definitely overshadowed by the duel of the league’s leaders and the main contenders for the champion’s title. In the spring Zenit and CSKA treated the public to a quite vapid 1:1 on the pitch, but as it turned out later the St. Petersburg club had got lost in the regulations jungles and thus ended up with a 0:3 on paper.
Now Luciano Spaletti will approach his match squad more carefully. There will certainly be a place for Vyacheslav Malafeev (on injections), Roman Shirokov (the comeback) and Domenico Criscito (the debut). By the way, the signing of the Italian left back didn’t stop Zenit from casting more glances towards the Apennines: the situation with Juan Manuel Vargas is about to clear up, while the one with Leonardo Bonucci has already come to nothing.
Zenit’s updated defense line will have to face the Seidou Doumbia – Vagner Love duo, supported by the returning Alan Dzagoev, who already served his ban, and Zoran Tosic, who recovered from the injury. Wouldn’t you figure on a victory having a fantail like that in your attack?
Keep an eye on
Lokomotiv Moscow – Krylia Sovetov Samara. The matchday’s last game will feature the Muscovites, who have already churned out two resounding victories without conceding a single goal under new head coach Jose Couceiro, while their forward Dmitry Sychev managed to score almost as many ‘goals-and-assists’ points, as he did in his previous fourteen games.
The Samara team are still awaiting their first win under Andrey Kobelev, but have already started to score at least. The brigade of new recruits led by Ognjen Koroman (though the Serb is only formally a newcomer) quite successfully opposed Amkar Perm a week ago and is now ready to jib in front of the train that seems to have gathered way.
Fighting boredom
Anzhi persistently aspire to become an antonym for the word ‘boredom’. This week Suleiman Kerimov’s club was entertaining the public once again – mainly with its ideas on new signings. Yury Zhirkov, for example, spent such a wild weekend in Moscow that he nearly ended up trying Anzhi’s shirt. Then the surname of Anatoly Timoshchuk resurfaced from heaven knows where – as well as the one of David Trezeguet’s a little later. However, it was the Disciplinary Commission that operated Anzhi’s money this week, punishing them with a fine for the clashes between the police and the fans two weeks ago and a suspended sentence of two matches at a neutral stadium.
The last straw was the video inviting the fans to the stadium for the Sunday’s match against Tom. The video featured Roberto Carlos who quite surprisingly dropped the F-bomb at the end of it – in Russian, of course.
...Zhirkov, by the way, flew back to England. He did not promise to return, but he apparently will.
Bet of the day
Rubin have eliminated Dynamo Kyiv from the Champions League race without much effort or drama, but the consequences of a busy schedule have already caught the Kazan team in the game against Anzhi last week (which they lost 0:3). The scarcity of the accessible squad and the weariness – both physical and mental – in Kurban Berdyev’s team might help Spartak Nalchik retain a draw (bookmakers odds – 1.9).
The parallel ways of Volga and Rostov, who both languish in the bottom part of the table, will still cross each other in an antiscientific way in Nizhny Novgorod. Considering the comatose state of Rostov’s defense, double motivation of Roman Adamov, and the teams’ general desire to get out of the basement, it would be tempting to try ‘total over’ (2.24).
Quote
«A Brazilian in the Russian football world isn’t not the same Brazilian in, say, the German Bundesliga, where he has twenty professionals around him. Perhaps, it was a mistake to have four or five Brazilians and so many young Russians in the team,» said Spartak Moscow head coach Valery Karpin, indulging in reflections about the teambuilding role of Spartak’s Brazilians (two of who, Alex Meschini and Ibson, have already left the team).
Figure
Dynamo’s winning streak under Sergey Silkin has reached five matches. Last time the White-and-Blues achieved similar result was in 2002. Still the record of the current championship belongs to CSKA, who have won seven games in a row.
CSKA Moscow – Zenit St. Petersburg
August 6. Arena Khimki (Khimki), 18.45 MSK.
Referee: Alexey Nikolayev (Moscow).
Injuries: M. Gonzalez, Shchennikov, Necid, Aldonin / V. Bystrov, Zhevnov.
Suspensions: Nababkin / none.
CSKA (Sports.ru version): Akinfeyev – Odia, V. Berezutsky, Ignashevich, A. Berezutsky – Tosic, Mamayev, Honda, Dzagoev – Dumbia, Vagner Love.
Zenit (Sports.ru version): Malafeyev – Anyukov, B. Alves, Lombaerts, Criscito – Denisov, Shirokov, Zyryanov – Lazovic, Kerzhakov, Danny.
Last matches: + + + + = / + + = + +
First round match: 3:0.
Odds by Marathon Betting: CSKA – 2.44, draw – 3.3, Zenit – 2.88.
Anzhi Makhachkala – Tom Tomsk
August 6. Dynamo Stadium (Makhachkala), 18.45 MSK.
Referee: Sergey Karasyov (Moscow).
Injuries: Lakhiyalov / Tigorev, Kim.
Suspensions: none.
Anzhi (Sports.ru version): Revishvili – Angbwa, Tagirbekov, Gadzhibekov, Agalarov – Al. Ivanov, Roberto Carlos, Ahmedov, Boussoufa, Dzsudzsak – Prudnikov.
Tom (Sports.ru version): Pesyakov – Khatazhenkov, D.N. Smirnov, Jokic, Skoblyakov – Boyarintsev, Golyshev, Sabitov, Balyaikin – Starikov, Kanunnikov.
Last matches: = + = – + / – = – + -
First round match: 0:0.
Odds by Marathon Betting: Anzhi – 1.46, draw – 4.1, Tom – 7.7.
Kuban Krasnodar – Dynamo Moscow
August 6. Kuban Stadium (Krasnodar), 21.00 MSK.
Referee: Igor Yegorov (Nizhny Novgorod).
Injuries: Kulik / none.
Suspensions: none.
Kuban (Sports.ru version): Budakov – Kozlov, Zelao, Armas, Zhavnerchik – Bucur, Skvernyuk, Tlisov, Komkov, Maksimov – Davydov.
Dynamo (Sports.ru version): Shunin – Epureanu, Granat, L. Fernandez, Lomic – Samedov, Semshov, Sapeta, Kokorin – Kuranyi, Voronin.
Last matches: – – + – = / + + + + +
First round match: 0:1.
Odds by Marathon Betting: Kuban – 3.1, draw – 3.1, Dynamo – 2.42.
Volga Nizhny Novgorod – Rostov Rostov-on-Don
August 6. Lokomotiv Stadium (Nizhny Novgorod), 21.00 MSK.
Referee: Sergey Lapochkin (St. Petersburg)
Injuries: Plesan, Yashin / Lejsal, Radic.
Suspensions: Grigalava / Okoronkwo, Khagush.
Volga (Sports.ru version): Abayev – Gaal, Buivolov, Belozyorov, Salukvadze – Tursunov, Adzhindzhal, Shulenin, Crosas, Javadov – Khazov.
Rostov (Sports.ru version): Kochenkov – Boussaidi, Proshin, Salata, Khokhlov – Kalachyov, Ivanov, Gatcan, Grigoriev, Cesnauskis – Adamov.
Last matches: – + – – – / – = – – -
First round match: 3:1.
Odds by Marathon Betting: Volga – 2.32, draw – 3.15, Rostov – 3.2.
Amkar Perm – FC Krasnodar
August 7. Zvezda Stadium (Perm), 15.30 MSK.
Referee: Vladimir Kazmenko (Rostov-on-Don).
Injuries: Narubin / none.
Suspensions: none / Martynovich, Shipitsin.
Амкар (Sports.ru version): Khamutovsky – Sirakov, Cherenchikov, Popov, Fedoriv – Peev, Kolomeitsev, Novakovic, Burmistrov – Djalovic, Mikhalyov.
Krasnodar (Sports.ru version): Usminsky – Vranjes, Amisulashvili, Tubic, Andjelkovic – Tatarchuk, Joaozinho, Drincic, Gogniev, Yerokhin – Movsisyan.
Last matches: = + – – = / + – = = =
First round match: 0:1.
Odds by Marathon Betting: Amkar – 2.25, draw – 3.1, Krasnodar – 3.4.
Spartak Nalchik – Rubin Kazan
August 7. Spartak Stadium (Nalchik), 17.45 MSK.
Referee: Almir Kayumov (Moscow).
Injuries: Jovanovic, Pomazan, Berkhamov / Carlos Eduardo, Ryazantsev, Orekhov, Kuzmin.
Suspensions: none / Ansaldi.
Spartak Nalchik (Sports.ru version): Fredrikson – Lebedev, Kulikov, Djudovic, Bagaev – Leandro, Kontsedalov, Zahirovic, Siradze – Portnyagin, Goshokov.
Rubin (Sports.ru version): Ryzhikov – Kaleshin, Sharonov, Kvirkvelia, Bocchetti – Kasaev, Natkho, Noboa, Karadeniz, Nemov – Dyadyun.
Last matches: – – + = – / + + – + -
First round match: 0:0.
Odds by Marathon Betting: Spartak Nalchik – 4.2, draw – 3.4, Rubin – 1.9.
Terek Grozny – Spartak Moscow
August 7. Ahmat Arena (Grozny), 19:15 MSK.
Referee: Vladislav Bezborodov (St. Petersburg).
Injuries: Mguni, Essame, Edilov / McGeady, Parshivlyuk.
Suspensions: Omelyanchuk / S. Rodriguez.
Terek (Sports.ru version): Dzhanaev – Utsiev, Ferreira, Jiranek, Zengue – Georgiev, Katsaev, Pavlenko, Gvazava – Ewerthon, Asildarov.
Spartak Moscow (Sports.ru version): Dikan – K. Kombarov, Pareja, Suchy, Makeyev – Ananidze, Carioca, de Zeeuw, D. Kombarov – Welliton, Dzyuba.
First round match: 0:1
Last matches: + + = – + / + – + + =
First round match: 0:0.
Odds by Marathon Betting: Terek – 3.1, draw – 3.1, Spartak Moscow – 2.42.
Lokomotiv Moscow – Krylia Sovetov Samara
August 7. Lokomotiv Stadium (Moscow), 20.00 MSK.
Referee: Mikhail Vilkov (Nizhny Novgorod)
Injuries: Amelchenko / Jozeph-Reinette, Kuznetsov.
Suspensions: none.
Lokomotiv (Sports.ru version): Guilherme – Shishkin, Burlak, Durica, Yanbayev – Ignatyev, Loskov, Glushakov, Torbinsky – Sychev, Maicon.
Krylia Sovetov (Sports.ru version): Veremko – Genev, Djordjevic, Ponomarenko, Tsallagov – Koroman, Petrov, Vorobyov, Sosnin, Bobyor – Yakovlev.
Last matches: – – – + + / – – – – =
First round match: 0:1.
Odds by Marathon Betting: Lokomotiv – 1.3, draw – 5, Krylia Sovetov – 11.