Turn the table over: who will be the leader of the RPL for the winter break

It's even amazing how similar Spartak and Dynamo are to the derby. Vadim Romanov and Rolan Gusev's probation period is expiring, and the final match before the winter break remains, so this is the last chance for both of them to prove to the management that they deserve to prepare the teams for the second part of the season. An equally dramatic fight is expected in the Krasnodar —CSKA match, where there is a struggle for intermediate leadership.

Spartak – Dynamo: last chance

Even the emotional background is similar — both clubs have recently been abandoned by iconic figures, great players in the past who failed to cope with their task. And the last round clearly shook the positions of both Romanov and Gusev. The defeat in Kaliningrad at 60 minutes of play was mostly accompanied by an abundance of tactical experiments. Litvinov in the center of midfield, Jedson in the role of the "false nine": Romanov seemed to be trying to show that he had his own ideas for the development of the team. It turned out badly, although, of course, we must make allowances for the power of Baltika in the home stands. In a week, Gusev managed to harshly attack Luis Martinez, the physical training coach who left the club with Karpin, and then apologize. Moreover, including in front of Karpin, and in front of Lichka, about whom he also spoke harshly earlier.

So now there is a special demand from Romanov and Gusev. The fans' attention is riveted to them, and the face-to-face meeting will either be an opportunity to get a lucky ticket for further work, or bury all hopes of staying at his post. So let's see who the players will be ready to fight for more fiercely. This will provide answers to many questions.

Krasnodar – CSKA Moscow: the battle for the first place

The two best teams in the country (at least in terms of stability) meet with each other in the last round of the year to find out who will take a break as leader. Of course, on the one hand, the issue is rather symbolic — everything will be resolved in the spring, and the key will be to prepare for it. On the other hand, it's not often that you get a chance to score three points by simultaneously tripping up a direct competitor.

But Zenit is still breathing down its back (it has the same number of points with CSKA), which, in the event of a draw in this match and its victory over Akron, can jump to the first line. This Russian Championship draw is perhaps the most competitive in terms of the number of teams seriously aiming for gold. That's why every point you score is worth its weight in gold. Especially in a meeting with a contender for the title.

"I'll rate the last part of the season by eight and a half points"

Football player of CSKA and the Russian national team Danil Krugovoy — about the results of the team, the upcoming match with the leader and personal results of the year

Interestingly, Krasnodar and CSKA Moscow will find themselves in familiar conditions, if not comfortable, next Sunday. The Bulls will surely have a territorial advantage and build a lot of positional attacks, and CSKA, accordingly, will have the opportunity to unclench the branded springs of counterattacks. The army team has recently experienced problems in matches when it was necessary to break into massive defenses, now it will definitely be where to run.

In fact, it's amazing how CSKA manages to be so effective offensively without having a scoring striker. Musaev, Alerrandro and Shumansky scored only three goals in the RPL, Mateus Alves is definitely not a profile center forward. Therefore, it remains only to effectively use not the most numerous chances — CSKA is the fourth in the league in terms of the number of goals and the fifth in xG, so the task for the winter break is obvious for the army bosses. In the meantime, the goal is to score on our own and hold off the league's most effective striker, John Cordoba.

Sochi – Lokomotiv: how will the news of Barinov's departure affect

Speaking of CSKA transfers, it is impossible to ignore the topic of Dmitry Barinov. It seems that the point in the midfielder's relationship with Loko has been made bold and final. Now the key question is when he will join the new team — in the winter or in the summer, when the contract expires. One can argue a lot about the ethics of the captain's act, but Yuri Semin spoke best on this point.: Just like people change jobs, football players change clubs, there's nothing wrong with that.

Of course, this story is unlikely to have a positive effect on the team spirit inside Loko, which is still in the championship race. But I think they know more inside the team than you and me. And that's why everyone understands. Contracts are contracts, and most importantly, the work that a football player does on the field. And in this regard, there can be no complaints about Barinov, he is still the leader of Lokomotiv, one of the best, if not the best player of the team.

In the next round, one of the competitors will definitely lose points, so the most important thing for the railwaymen is not to get into an emotional tilt by doing what they need to do. Namely— to calmly beat an outsider away. Sochi is unlikely to offer serious resistance, so Loko simply needs to play to its own strength. And then come what may.

"At the moment, Akinfeev is the best goalkeeper in Russia"

Dynamo Makhachkala goalkeeper David Volk — about playing against the legendary army soldier and fighting for survival in the RPL

Zenit – Akron: continuation of the drama with Dzyuba

Zenit's meeting with Akron is intriguing, first of all, in the context of Artem Dzyuba's return to St. Petersburg. And there is already a story emerging — Tolyatti's team won last season at the Gazprom Arena, Dzyuba scored the winning goal. In the first round of this campaign, Akron pulled out a draw, with Artyom failing to convert a penalty in the 90+5th minute. Are we waiting for the drama to continue?

But if we ignore the personal twists and turns, then the meeting promises to be intriguing from a purely sporting point of view. First of all, because Zenit has not been impressive in the last month. After the status victories over Dynamo and Lokomotiv, the blue-white-blues regularly score points, but at the same time they do not show the level that the current squad allows. A draw with Krylia and hard-fought victories over Paris NN and Rubin hardly add to confidence. But now the main thing is the result, and Zenit, despite all the problems, has a chance to take a winter break as a leader.