The upcoming meeting is one of the most serious tests for the “railwaymen” this season. Last summer, few could have imagined that Lokomotiv, which had lost several leaders at once, would be able to challenge the same Zenit and Krasnodar in the fight for the title. But a third of the season is over, and Mikhail Galaktionov’s team is still in the lead and does not intend to retreat. However, in the last round there was a misfire: the “red-greens” lost to one of the outsiders of the tournament, “Khimki” (0:2), suffering their first defeat since the beginning of September.
As for Zenit, of course, the St. Petersburg team is the favorite for the upcoming meeting. However, we should not forget that in the last Premier League, Sergei Semak’s team lost twice to Lokomotiv, and in general, the “blue-white-blues” did not have the most brilliant results in their confrontations with the Muscovites on their field: five wins and two draws and two defeats in the last nine meetings.
Zenit head coach Sergei Semak shared his expectations from the match with Lokomotiv in a conversation with reporters.
How much have the “railwaymen” changed compared to last season?
Sergey Semak: If we talk about the composition, Lokomotiv has changed slightly. The team plays interesting football, there are fast guys who are good both in space and in set-pieces. They are one of the contenders for the championship.
The sensational defeat from Khimki will not affect Lokomotiv?
Sergey Semak: Don’t think. The density at the top of the table is such that no one can relax. After each round the leader may change; losing points is a huge minus for anyone. I suppose everyone draws some conclusions after defeats, but a difference of two points is nothing.
Last season, the “railroad workers” won both matches against the St. Petersburg club
Will Maxim Glushenkov, who missed the last few matches due to injury, play against Lokomotiv?
Sergey Semak: Most likely not. Maxim works individually, we will talk with doctors. He was examined on Wednesday, but has not yet clarified how things are going there.
Alexey Batrakov is shining for Lokomotiv this season. Are you preparing separately for it, how are you going to contain it?
Sergey Semak: Everyone is happy for Batrakov. It’s nice when bright players with Russian passports appear in our championship. Of course, everyone is surprised, first of all, by the performance and the number of points earned using the goal+pass system. It is unlikely that anyone could have expected this. In preparation, we study everyone. “Lokomotiv” is strong not only with Batrakov. There is a whole group of football players, experienced and young, who come out and directly influence the result.
How did they react to the statement of the head coach of the national team, Valery Karpin, that our football has been “going somewhere wrong” for many years?
Sergey Semak: I didn’t hear Karpin’s words. All championships are different, they all have their own stories that dictate what kind of football to play. Of course, if we talk about intensity, many of our teams defend deeply. In this case, there can be no talk of any intensity. In Belgium or the Netherlands, for example, all clubs play attacking, where football is more interesting for fans. These are the leagues in which the task is to grow a star and sell him for big money, and for this you need to highlight his best qualities. Hence the peculiarities of football in a particular country.
Russian Cup
The day before, the clubs of the Russian Premier League played their last matches of the group stage of the Russian Cup. Based on their results, all pairs of the 1/4 finals of the tournament in the “RPL Path” were determined.
In the next stage of the Cup, Spartak will meet with Rostov, the capital’s Dynamo will face off in a derby with Lokomotiv, Zenit’s opponent will be Grozny’s Akhmat, and Kazan’s Rubin will face off against CSKA. The teams will play two matches – home and away. The first games are scheduled from November 5 to 7, the return games are scheduled from November 26 to 28. The winner advances to the semi-finals of the “RPL Path”, the loser does not leave the tournament, but drops into the lower bracket – the “Path of Regions”.
Dynamo Makhachkala, Khimki, Krasnodar and Tolyatti Akron went to the “Path of Regions” from the group stage of the Cup. Their opponents are still unknown. Among the top division teams, Paris Nizhny Novgorod, Orenburg, Samara Krylya Sovetov and Voronezh Fakel were eliminated from the competition.
Let us remind you that the Russian Cup is divided into two paths – the “RPL Path” and the “Path of the Regions”. In the RPL Path, the 16 major league clubs are divided into four groups. At the end of the group stage, the teams that take the first two places go to the upper bracket of the tournament playoffs, the third to the lower bracket, and the holders of the fourth lines are eliminated from further competition.
Where will we watch?
October 26, Saturday, Match TV
16.30. CSKA – “Fakel”. Live broadcast.
October 27, Sunday, “Match TV”
19.30. “Zenit” – “Lokomotiv”. Live broadcast.
“Match Premier”
14.15. “Paris Nizhny Novgorod” – “Spartak”. Live broadcast
Source: rg.ru
