The key battle for the title, the expectation of a goal from Dziuba and Musayev’s revenge for Kokorin: what is interesting about the match Krasnodar - Zenit

“Krasnodar” and “Zenith” will meet in one of the central matches of the 24th round of the RPL, which may be the key in the fight for the championship. Murad Musayev will try to take revenge on Sergei Semak for the defeat in the first round. Then the fate of the confrontation was determined by the replacement of Alexander Kokorin, and Artem Dzyuba was the last ball in the RPL, whose goalless series in the national championship is already 1031 minutes.

Last chance for Krasnodar to compete for the championship

In the current season Krasnodar turned out to be closer than ever to winning the championship. During the winter break, the Southerners even almost went as a leader of the RPL, but the annoying home draw with Ufa prevented them from reaching the first line.

However, in the spring, Murad Musaev’s charges made too many losses in the national championship and allowed Zenit to break through. After 23 rounds, the team shares six points.

And in an internal dispute in their own crowded stadium, Southerners have an excellent opportunity to reduce the backlog to three points. In this case, the battle for the title in the RPL will actually begin anew, the more “Lokomotiv” can also get closer to the leader at a distance of one victory, if he defeats CSKA.

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© Maksim Konstantinov

Key match for Petrograd

For Zenit the match in Krasnodar is one of the last serious tests. True, the St. Petersburg team has yet to meet with CSKA, but it will happen in three rounds before the finish and in St. Petersburg.

At the same time, the team of Sergei Semak has already adequately passed the exit tests of Spartak and Lokomotiv. In both matches, the team achieved a completely satisfactory draw with the same score - 1: 1. Will not be a tragedy for the St. Petersburg group a peaceful outcome in Krasnodar.

Moreover, Zenit after the winter break confidently collects all "their" points. In the spring, the leader beat "Ural", "Ufa", "Orenburg" and "Anji". And, as you know, it is precisely a stable set of points in matches with opponents inferior to the class that most often ensures winning the title in the national championship.

Other contenders for gold in this regard are not sinless. Lokomotiv, for example, played at home in a draw with Wings of the Soviets (2: 2), although after that it scored four victories in five meetings of the RPL. "Krasnodar" also missed a home victory over "Orenburg".

Open football

At the same time, the game in Krasnodar should turn out to be quite bright, because the owners will have to go forward after victory and, in principle, never try to demonstrate pragmatic football. In this regard, “Spartak” and “Lokomotiv” with “Zenith” acted much more cautiously, although they also had to score three points in the matches with the St. Petersburg team.

Wards Semak also get the opportunity to carry out fast speed attacks, which will also look spectacular. Especially in the winter, a striker appeared in the team, able to escape into the lead - Serdar Azmun. Thus, fans will witness a double-edged football.

Plus, historically, in-person match rivals have never sought to sit at their own gates. So, in the last two meetings, the team scored three goals. Zero draws in the entire history of the confrontation "Zenith" and "Krasnodar" were recorded only twice. At the same time, the Southerners beat the opponent only once - in November 2016 - 2: 1. In that incredible fight, the hosts snatched the victory in time added to the second half thanks to a goal from Tornike Okriashvili through themselves.

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© Maksim Konstantinov

Will Dziub and Azmun score

In the previous paragraph, we have already remembered Azmun, and this is not surprising, because its acquisition was a real success for Zenit. In the first ten matches for Petrograd in RPL and Europa League, the Iranian has already scored eight goals.

At the same time, almost all of them took place on the team's home arena. On the road as part of the “Zenith” forward has distinguished himself only once, and then struck the gate fighting for the survival of the “Ural”.

In the matches with Lokomotiv and Spartak in Moscow, the Iranian failed to hit the gates of others, as well as in the away meetings with Fenerbahce and Villarreal. However, in almost all these games, Azmun had good moments, but did not realize them. Now, the Petrograd fans are waiting for the Iranian heads in Krasnodar.

Not less than they will please the ball Artem Dziuba. Forward interrupted his protracted goalless series in the qualifying match of Euro 2020 with Kazakhstan, but he didn’t score for the club since October 25 last year, when he hit Bordeaux in the Europa League.

In the RPL, the striker did not differ from October 7. That day he grieved Krasnodar and helped the St. Petersburg group to win an important home victory - 2: 1.

Since then, Dziuba has not scored more than half a year in the national championship - 12 matches. In general, Artyom's “dry series” in the national championship is 1031 minutes.

Who will win the standoff in the center of the field

Much in this match will also depend on who wins the battle in the center of the field. Vilmar Barrios and Magomed Ozdoev will have to work hard to cope with the triangle represented by Charles Kabore, Yuri Gazinski and Mauriso Perreira.

As part of Zenit, we can also assume that the Christian Noboa tribe, which had recovered from a severe injury, entered the field, but this move from Semak is unlikely, given the limit on foreign players and the injuries of Russians Daler Kuzyayev and Alexander Erokhin. On the other hand, in the spring Ozdoev scored a great shape and was even called into the Russian national team.

Artem Dzyuba and Magomed Ozdoev
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© Alexey Filippov

The fate of Suleimanov and Ignatiev

Another interesting point is how much Musaev in a key match will be ready to trust the young students of the club Magomed-Shapi Suleymanov and Ivan Ignatiev.

The first is good as a “joker” of the team, but when entering the field in the starting lineup, as a rule, it doesn’t show anything. The exception was the match against the sinking "Anji", when the striker issued a double. And in the last round duel with Dynamo, Suleymanov, although he played from the first minutes, was replaced already during the break. As a rule, technical fast Magomed-Shapi is good in the end when rivals get tired.

Ignatiev after signing a new contract with the club also scored only “Anji”. In Khimki, Ivan remained in the reserve, and started the match "Krasnodar" without any nominal strikers at all, which did not bring them any special dividends. After the break, the talented forward went on replacement just instead of Suleymanov. It is rather curious whether Musaev will decide to play with Zenit without net hitters, given the injury to Ari, or whether Ignatiev will return to the start.

Opposition Musaev and Semak

At the same time, Musayev will try to take revenge on Semak for the defeat in the first round match, because then the counterpart actually outplayed him at the expense of competent substitutions. The first half ended with no goals scored, and instead of midfielder Erokhin, the Zenit mentor unexpectedly threw Kokorin, who had recovered from the injury, to help Dzyube, instead of midfielder.

As a result, the change in the alignment and the exit of the fast forward helped the hosts to gain an advantage in the attack, and the team distinguished themselves twice during the quick counterstrikes. Pavel Mamaev's ball from the penalty spot in the end did not save Krasnodar from defeat.

After the final whistle, Mamaev and Kokorin decided to celebrate a decade of friendship in Moscow. The holiday ended with detention in the SIZO, where the players are still there.

World Cup Judge

Finally, the game will be served by the best arbiter of Russia in recent years, Sergey Karasev. This season, he twice worked at the matches of Krasnodar (Orenburg - 1: 1, Arsenal - 3: 0) and once at a meeting of Zenit (Akhmat - 1: 0). In it, he showed two yellow cards Leandro Paredes.

In his entire career, Karasev has sued 27 Zenit matches, and in them the St. Petersburg team won 15 victories and suffered five defeats.

At the games of Krasnodar Sergey worked much less often - 14 times. Under him, the Southerners achieved four victories, five times at odds with their rivals in the world and suffered five defeats. In particular, it was Karasev who served the Russian Cup final 2012/13, in which Krasnodar lost to Rostov in a penalty shootout.

The referee also worked twice at the Zenit matches for the Super Bowl. In 2013, the blue-white-blue lost to Rubin (0: 2), and four years later, they took over CSKA with a minimum score.