On a low restart: the main intrigues of the 22nd round of the RPL
The Russian Premier League returns after an almost two-week hiatus. On Friday, March 28, the program of the 22nd round will open in Samara, where Krylia Sovetov will host Moscow's Lokomotiv. The main attention of the audience will be focused on the ongoing championship race of three teams — Krasnodar, Spartak and Zenit. And, of course, let's not forget about the struggle for survival, where the competition is no lower than that of the leaders. Read more about all the main events of the upcoming tour in the Izvestia article.
Krasnodar – Fakel
All matches of the leading three will be held on the same day — March 30th. Moreover, the order of performance is similar to the position of the teams in the table: Krasnodar will play first, then Spartak, and then Zenit.
Murad Musayev's team is in a comfortable situation, coming in first place with a three-point margin compared to the closest pursuers, Spartak and Zenit. However, sole leadership in the standings is not a reason to relax. No matter how difficult it may be, Fakel needs to save itself with all its might (Voronezh is currently in the "deadly" 15th place, four points behind the transition zone), so it won't be easy for the Bulls. As practice shows, it is in matches with the underdogs that a potential championship is obtained. In addition, we can recall the first round match in Voronezh, where Krasnodar failed to win, drawing 0-0.
At the same time, the black and green started 2025 in the championship without defeats: a draw with Krylia Sovetov and two victories over Paris NN and Rostov. Given the comfortable calendar, there is every chance to extend his winning streak to four matches. And then the game with Zenit away...
As for Fakel, things are not going well for the team: the current series of defeats in the RPL is four matches (including 0:1 from the outsider Orenburg), and the last victory was achieved on October 18, in a game with Akhmat (and then in added time to the match + thanks to penalty shootout before that). And then there were rumors about the possible dismissal of Dmitry Pyatibratov from the post of head coach of Voronezh, however, insider Ivan Karpov previously reported that there were no such plans at the club, since "it is far from certain that the new coach will make a powerful leap with the team." Anyway, it's hard to believe that Fakel will be able to score points in a meeting with Krasnodar. But there is always a place for sensation in life.
Akhmat – Spartak
Spartak has a similar situation to Krasnodar. But it's probably even more complicated. In the next round, the red-whites will also have to play with one of the candidates for relegation, Akhmat. However, Grozny seems to have almost the highest chance of avoiding not only direct departures, but also junctions. Sergey Tashuev's team finished the previous year well, having gone on a winter break with a draw in the match with Dynamo Moscow and a victory over Orenburg, and continued to perform just as well in the new year, beating Rubin and parting in peace with Lokomotiv and Khimki. And then there's the conditional advantage of the home field, because for many top teams, a trip to Grozny has long been difficult. In addition, in the first round, Akhmat has already taken points from Spartak, having played 0-0 in Moscow.
From an emotional point of view, it may be easier for Spartak after defeating Zenit in the last round, although some time has passed and we need to move on without looking back. In any case, Dejan Stankovic's team is pretty confident going the distance, having scored eight wins in the last 10 matches. At the same time, before the success in the match with Zenit, the red and white managed to lose to a less powerful opponent, Rubin. And just on the way out. So Akhmat definitely won't give up without a fight.
"I really like the way Spartak is playing now, the team is fighting for the lead, it recently had a long winning streak," Akhmat striker Georgy Melkadze, who previously played for the red—whites, told Izvestia. "It will be very interesting for me to play against him. The team is playing brightly, you can see that the guys are fighting with all their might, they have a strong attack. But we want to win. To do this, we need to score more than them, which is what we are going to do. I think we can do it. We have prepared very well for the winter training camp, we have united into a strong team and we are fighting in every match. All the guys feel that they can fight on equal terms with any opponent, so we play very confidently.
Zenit – Rubin
An insignificant fact before the round: Zenit is the only one among the main contenders for the championship who managed to beat his opponent in the next round in the first round. It was in the second round, and then Zenit defeated Rubin in Kazan with a score of 4:0. Back then, at the start, the Petersburgers swept away literally everyone in their path, and in many ways it turned out thanks to the overperformance of Maxim Glushenkov, who scored seven goals in four matches.
Times have changed now. It seems to some that Zenit is "no longer the same," but the dry statistics really give reason to think about the state of the current champions of Russia. In the last five matches, Sergey Semak's team suffered three defeats (two of them were at home and in a row, from not the most formidable rivals — Krylia Sovetov and Akron), including a crucial meeting with Spartak at Lukoil Arena, and also drew with CSKA on their own field. Only Fakel was beaten, but even that was not without consequences (we recall the removal of Brazilian midfielder Wendel for an indecent gesture).
And then there were various rumors around Glushenkov, who not only significantly reduced his level of performance, but also allegedly began to conflict with Semak. All this is successfully refuted, although, as you know, there is no smoke without fire. Perhaps this is a signal that things are not going as well as we would like at Zenit right now. And then there's the pressure due to the upcoming centennial celebration, and the team is at risk of not becoming champions...
In part, the situation for Zenit may be simplified by the fact that Rubin no longer needs anything globally: there are no European cups, they will not reach the top three (or even the top five, most likely), and they are unlikely to fall below the top eight, not to mention any joints and relegation. You can safely finish the season, playing for your own pleasure. And so you can take a swing at victory. Although there is a feeling that after losing to Spartak and all the subsequent stories, Zenit will be very angry and will try to throw all its energy on the field. It is possible that the match will end with a crushing victory for the blue-white-blues.
What else will be on the tour?
The Krylia Sovetov – Lokomotiv match, which will open the upcoming tour, may also turn out to be eventful. Each team solves its own tasks.
It is important for Krylia to keep their registration in the RPL without play—offs, and mathematically the Samaritans can drop even into the direct relegation zone, so it is extremely important for them to score maximum points in the remaining matches - competitors will definitely not let them relax, and the battle below is no weaker than for the title.
As for Lokomotiv, they may not be likely to compete for the championship (although they are "only" six points behind the first place), but there is still a reason to fight for medals. And then there's the opponent, who hasn't won the championship since the beginning of December (four rounds in a row).
Dynamo Moscow is still dreaming of a "podium" (currently minus four points from third place). And the blue and white team's rivals include Orenburg, the main contender for relegation. It will be extremely difficult for Vladimir Slishkovich's team to escape, but theoretically the chances are not lost yet. In the last round, for example, Orenburg won for the first time since the first round (when Spartak was sensationally beaten) — Fakel suffered. But so far, the gap from the junction zone is a decent seven points. It is advisable to win at least three more victories, but at the same time, so that the closest competitors in the struggle to keep their residence permit actively lose points.
The match "Khimki" – "Paris NN" can be called the central one if we consider only the lower part of the table. Such games are usually called "for six points". Khimki is currently 11th with 20 points, and Nizhny Novgorod is 13th with 19 points. So we should expect a bright game with fighting on both sides.
"We played two matches against our competitors in March, and it's very good that we didn't lose to them," said Khimki striker Reziuan Mirzov in a conversation with Izvestia. — We won one match against Fakel (1-0), we did not lose one match against Akhmat (1-1). A normal result. I would like something better, but we have what we have. It is very important now to perform no worse in the next two rounds, since these are also matches with direct competitors — at home with Nizhny Novgorod, then we go to Makhachkala to Dynamo. We need to score maximum points, but the main thing in these games is not to lose. That's the most important thing. How did you avoid a recession amid the club's financial problems? The people in Khimki gathered after playing. We've already seen a lot in our lives, and we've been through a lot. Therefore, everyone goes out to do their job — this played a key role in the results. If there were any young and inexperienced players who would only think that everything was bad, then big problems could arise. As it is, we have assembled a team with experience that primarily focuses on the game and achieving good results.
The CSKA – Dynamo Makhachkala match is extremely important, first of all, for the southern guests. The Army team currently occupies a comfortable sixth place with minimal chances of both medals and a place outside the top 8 (although minus five points from third place still leaves at least some hope for a medal miracle). But Dynamo needs to strengthen its safe position: Makhachkala residents are currently on the 10th line, having scored 21 points, but they are only three points away from 14th place. And these are the joints and the risks of flying out. So such a high density at the bottom obliges Khasanbi Bijiyev's wards to continue to score points. A draw, in principle, would also be a good result for Dynamo in this match.
The meeting between Akron and Rostov scheduled for Monday will conclude the program of the 22nd round. The teams are adjacent in the standings, but the distance between them is quite a bit. Rostov residents are ahead of Tolyatti residents by five points. Of course, Akron's points will still be useful in order to be as confident as possible of guaranteed participation in the RPL for the next season (Akron broke away from the joint zone by six points), but in terms of achievements, the team can count on a maximum of seventh or eighth place. And to do this, you need to remove the nearest competitor. Rostov's situation is about the same, only a little better — you can practically not worry about the risks of sliding into the joints, but you would certainly like to gain a foothold in the top eight. And so the potential final positions are like Akron's.
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