"Emotions will be more than football": what they say about the upcoming derby Dynamo and Spartak in the RPL

Dynamo is looking only in the direction of the first five "

The Russian football championship returns after a winter break. This weekend will be played the 20th round of the RPL, and one of the main meetings will be the capital's Dynamo Derby - Spartak, which will be held on Saturday, February 29.

For full-time confrontation, both rivals are suitable as middle peasants. For the first time in a long time, Dynamo overtook Spartak in the standings - now blue and white are in eighth place, while their opponent is only in tenth. However, according to the former head coach of Dynamo Andrei Kobelev, the position of the teams still does not mean anything, and it is too early to draw conclusions. As the expert emphasized in a conversation with RT, the fans will see the “correct” table only after the 30th round of the national championship.

In this offseason, white and blue were reinforced by striker Nikolai Komlichenko and midfielder Dmitry Skopintsev. Both Kobelev considers a worthy acquisition.

“These are promising guys. Both Russians, and this is also a plus, but in the future, in my opinion, these are the players of the national team. In addition, both are quite young, which means they can progress. So, in my opinion, these transfers are at least not a failure, unlike those that were before, ”said Kobelev.

Dynamo's good work in the transfer market was noted by another former team coach Sergey Silkin. He is confident that Komlichenko will be able to prove himself in the first game after the winter break.

“This is a good striker. But this is a striker, which means they must be provided with balls. If the partners help, then I think Nikolay will be able to cause trouble for Spartak. But still I want to see him on the field first, because many players show hope until a certain point. The same Andre Schurrle, for example. Arriving at Spartak, he looked good, but then disappeared somewhere, ”said Silkin.

However, experts emphasize that making predictions for the first game after a long pause is always difficult. According to Silkin, the friendly matches that both rivals spent in the offseason, "did not carry crazy dedication," and now the teams will smoothly be drawn into the final segment of the season. The expert noted that waiting for high-quality football in the first game will be difficult.

“Derby is, first and foremost, emotions. This is a meeting that both teams have always taken and will take very seriously. It is also difficult to predict the winner because motivation is of great importance, and here it is the same for rivals. In addition, the first game is always very exciting, so I think there will be more emotions and struggles than football, ”the specialist added.

The former Dynamo footballer Sergey Kiryakov has a different opinion, emphasizing that in the second part of the season, good prospects open up for blue and white.

“Surely there will be a lot of struggle in the match against Spartak, but football, I think, will be. In such meetings, the chances are always 50 to 50. Both opponents have a decent selection of players, although both of them will worry before the first match after a winter break. But as a Dynamo, I still bet on the victory of my former club. After the unsuccessful start of the season, the team finally secured itself from the relegation zone and now it looks only forward - towards the first five, ”Kiryakov noted.

The former blue-and-white footballer also hopes that midfielder Dmitry Skopintsev will show himself well.

“This is a pupil of the Dynamo club. At one time, he left the team, wandered around, managed to play in Europe and in the Russian top club - Krasnodar. Now he’s returned to his native team. I think he has a lot of emotions in this regard, and the midfielder will try to prove himself. As for Komlichenko, the blue and white really needed a center forward. He also established himself well in Europe, scored a lot, ”the expert concluded.

“At Spartak, they made a mistake with transfers from Schürrle and Thiel”

On the eve of the match, it became known that the German midfielder Andre Schürrle would not play for Spartak in the near future - the midfielder had problems with the ankle. However, as Sergey Kiryakov emphasized, it is difficult to call a football player a base player, and therefore his injury will not become a headache for the coaching staff. The Spartak’s game was disappointing for the former red-white football player Valery Kechinov. He recalled what expectations at one time the fans associated with the appearance in the team of him, as well as another legionnaire - Guus Thiel.

“Both Til and Schurrle started great when they first arrived at Spartak, but, as time has shown, the club seemed to be mistaken with these transfers. I hope that the Dutchman still shows himself. It can be seen that this is an interesting player. If he understands himself and the coach helps him, then perhaps we will still see the real Thiel. As for Schurrle, then, of course, he has a lot of experience behind him, but the end of the first part of the season showed that Spartak can do without him. When he did appear on the field, it was clear that this was not the same Shurrle that at the very beginning, when he had just joined the team. Now he was injured again, but I think the coaching staff was ready to bet on other players, ”said Kechinov.

At the same time, the expert is sure that it is the first games after the winter break that will become indicative in terms of the final position of the red and white in the standings.

“I watched the meeting between Spartak and Partizan at the Parimatch Premier Cup, but I did not see any holistic game. Although in that match two teams played. And now, in my opinion, it will be the next two first games that will determine the red and white. If the team fails them, then it is already at risk of being in the zone of butt matches. Football players will begin to twitch, and this will affect the field. At the same time, if the red-white ones show themselves well, then they will approach the top five, and this will inspire confidence in the players, ”the specialist emphasized.

But the physical state of the players is beyond doubt of the expert: in his opinion, both opponents approach the derby in optimal condition. Kechinov noted that he would not give anyone an advantage. According to the expert, the fans will have a lot of martial arts and few goals, and as a result there will be a draw. At the same time, the specialist recalled that already next week Spartak will play against CSKA in the Cup of Russia.

“This is the most important game of the season. Spartak will be quite difficult to get into the top five, and the Cup of Russia makes it possible to participate in European competitions. Of course, winning the Cup is now the number one task for Spartak, but you should not forget about the national championship either. Yes, a match with Dynamo in a sense will help Spartak prepare for the cup derby, because each game helps and gives a certain experience in its own way. This will be a kind of nourishment for CSKA, although one should not forget that the team also has a meeting with Krasnodar. So, for Spartak now any game is like the last, ”concluded Kechinov.

But the former Spartak midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov believes that both upcoming meetings are equally important for the red and white. According to the ex-Spartak, two status games in a row only decorate football.

“The classic Moscow derby is always interesting. It’s hard for me to assess the current state of both opponents, because, as you know, the games at the training camp and official meetings are significantly different. But since there were a lot of nervous remarks addressed to Spartak last year, it is very interesting to see how the team will look now. This season we have already seen a lot of struggle and a little football. But I want a sight, I hope to see him in the upcoming derby, ”Bilyaletdinov said.

Also, the former footballer noted Spartak’s newcomer Alexander Sobolev and recalled that red-white has traditionally been difficult due to pressure from fans.

“The red and white ones were strengthened by Sobolev, and, in my opinion, this is not bad. Alexander is a tall and powerful forward who will add variety to the attack. On the whole, I think that if the Spartacists are left alone, the team will be easier. Red and white traditionally experience very serious pressure. The same goes for the coach. I hope the offseason was fruitful, and Domenico Tedesco had the opportunity to work with the team with a calm head, ”the player added.

Like other experts, Bilyaletdinov praised the Dynamo Moscow transfers and wished the club good luck.

“It is clear that Dynamo transfers are designed to attack. The potential in the attack did not suit the leadership of the team, which is faced with the task of scoring and winning more. As for the quality of the acquired players, time will tell - let's see how they will join the Russian championship. I think Skopintsev should have no problems with this, but as for Komlichenko, we'll see. Personally, I hope that Dynamo will rise. This is still a famous club, with history, ”concluded Bilyaletdinov.