Before the final rounds in the RPL formed a trio of contenders for two medals. In the championship of “Zenith” no one doubts, but for the silver and bronze will unfold a stubborn struggle between “Rostov”, “Spartak” and CSKA. Especially since all three teams still play with each other.
Will Rostov lose everything away?
Rostov is in second place for the decisive matches of the season. The gap from “Spartak” is only one point, and the calendar for the Karpin Gang is not easy. There are only two matches left at home, and five games out of six are against teams from the top half of the table. And both meetings against direct competitors will be held in Moscow. At the same time, the team is second in the league in terms of points in away matches. On the road, the Rostov team lost only once — to the St. Petersburg «Zenith». , and the southerners achieved the advantage and kept at the expense of character, the ability to endure and give all the best in each episode. Three times in the season «Rostov» bounced back, losing 2:0, and twice won in such matches — «Spartak» and «Krasnodar». Spartak»: an easy calendar with a weak game
The “red-white” calendar is easier than that of “Rostov”. Spartak will play as many as three matches with teams from the bottom eight. Three home games, a match in Khimki, which can hardly be called away — it seems that the calendar favors the Muscovites. But even such a calendar should be able to use.
And with the implementation of the plans of «Spartacus» in the spring big problems. The team failed winter training, flew out of the Cup and runs the risk of being left without medals at all. Injuries, lack of intensity, failures in defense — all this does not allow Muscovites to achieve stability in the results.
Russian Premier League (RPL)
April 29, 2023 • start at 19:30
The match has not started
Spartak MoscowRussia
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RostovRussia
And a light calendar in such a situation does not guarantee anything. In the spring, the “red-whites” were already losing to “Orenburg” and losing points in home meetings with “Akhmat” and “Ural”. And certainly matches with teams fighting for survival will not be a cakewalk. They will have to give 100%, and this is difficult for the poorly prepared team of Abaskal.
There are, however, some positives as well. Spartak, like Rostov, has achieved many victories by overcoming difficulties. So it was in the last matches with “Torpedo”, where the “red-whites” survived with nine men, and with “Krasnodar”, where they managed to recoup with 0:2 and win. Such a victory, as well as the return of leaders to the ranks, give Spartak hope for a successful end to the season. The main thing now is to find stability.The army team is having a hard time in the spring – 16 points in seven league games, including a win against Zenit and five consecutive wins, reaching the final stage of the Cup. The team is on the move, playing well in attack and scoring a lot, while not losing balance and acting reliably from behind. a combination in the attack, where Anton Zabolotny and Ivan Oblyakov suddenly took on the main roles. Defensively, the team finally has a full complement of defenders, and the absence of injuries allows the team to use a wider rotation. As a result, the team can compete for a place in the top three, and for the Cup.
However, it is the struggle on two fronts that can interfere with the army team. Soon the team is waiting for the most difficult cup trip to Yekaterinburg. And if CSKA concedes to Ural, then it will be necessary to play one more match, with the winner of the confrontation between Krasnodar and Akron. And all this in the midst of the fight for medals in the championship, where five of the six remaining matches of CSKA will play with teams from the top half of the standings. In the last three rounds, the army team will have away matches with Spartak and Krasnodar and a home match with Rostov. Even being in excellent condition, it is very difficult to count on success in two tournaments at once.