How will the decisive tour of the Russian Football Championship will pass
The second season in a row, the owners of all the awards of the Russian Championship, including the Golden Award, which is claimed by Krasnodar and Zenit, will be determined in the final round of the championship. The alignment in their correspondence Saturday struggle looks very curious and very unsteady. Zenit, who won the six previous national championships, lags behind Krasnodar one point, but has a good reason to count on the fact that, like a year ago, he will get out of a difficult situation-for example, due to the difference in the strength and motivation of rivals of competitors. The Zenitites have a stuck in the basement of the Akhmat table, among the Krasnodar – struggling for bronze and, it seems, did not forget how the opponent in the last championship deprived him of faithful gold, Dynamo.
For the second year in a row, the Russian championship for dessert gave those who follow him an captive attraction. And you can’t even say which of the two is cooler. In 2024, there was an amazing, rare, especially by the standards of the domestic championship, in which, as a rule, the owner of the title was determined ahead of time, the situation: three clubs claimed gold at once – “Zenit”, “Krasnodar” and “Dynamo”, and no of them could say that this is a contender with purely symbolic chances. All of them were quite real. The current “spin” also has a shade of exclusivity. The fact is that five teams will hunt for the championship awards in the 30th round, even if three are going on the scored points of CSKA and Dynamo, as well as the Spartak, which lagged behind them, will not rise above the third, “bronze”. In this century, there were only three such hunters three times in the final round (see certificate) and only twice a little more – six. But in 2009, and in 2021, the champions-Rubin and Zenit-have already been determined to the last round. And now with the champion – no clarity, although the teams fighting for the title are still not three, but two.
In fact, in 2025, the alignment regarding the struggle for the trophy is almost as shameful as in 2024. Ahead – never to reach him Krasnodar, the flagship of domestic football Zenit, which won the six previous championships, is behind him.
But there are reasons to believe that this score does not quite correctly reflect the size of the real Krasnodar Fora. The real is even more modest. And in order to prove this, anyone who is not indifferent to Zenit will not even need to remind that with the equality of points he is due to the best difference in balls in personal meetings (namely their results-a priority among additional indicators) will be at the top. A draw of “Zenith”, the defeat of “Krasnodar”-this is some kind of “marginal” option, can not be taken into account, since there are facts and observations are much more important.
For example, about the form of competitors. Before this tour, the impressions of their latest matches seem relevant. Similar, by the way, impressions. “Krasnodar” and “Zenith” last weekend with great difficulty and minimum score-2: 1 and 1: 0-the clubs won with which, in fact, if their tone in perfect order would probably be dealt with without problems. The Krasnodarians were tormented and recouped in a meeting with the « Orenburg » flying from the Premier League, located on the penultimate line of the table. The Zenitites nearly lost points in a compensated time in a collision with the actually the second composition of the Rostov middle composition against them. But there is still a difference. For Zenit, his unpretentious Rostov game was not that an emergency, but still in the spring it was usually more interesting and more proud. But the difficult game of the Krasnodar with the weak « Orenburg » looked like a continuation of the alarming trend.
Formally, on the segment of the championship, which followed after the winter pause, it has excellent indicators: 8 wins in 11 matches. But you should carefully look at these victories. The set of rivals is so -so, and only the “Nizhny Novgorod” with the “torch” drowned with the “torch” drowned together with the “Orenburg” are confidently beaten. In other meetings – the difference in the ball in favor of Krasnodar. In the match with Akhmat – in two, but he also survived the nervousness in it. That is, the Krasnodarians held at the top of a thin one, without, in fact, a margin of strength.
But the nuance, apparently, is more significant for the layout – the differences between the teams coming on Saturday to visit Zenit and Krasnodar.
In Petersburgers, this is an “Akhmat”, which, no matter how you try, you can’t find a strong motivation for the Grand. The Grozensy will not go anywhere from the « zone of butt matches. » It can even be assumed that about them, butt matches with a huge betting – the right to continue performances in the elite division, about preparing for them now all their thoughts.
“Krasnodar” will have to deal with Dynamo. In May, it fired the coach Martzel Pigi, as if officially fixing that the season did not bring the expected results. But in reality, three winnings of the winnings obtained after his resignation – at the “wings of the Soviets”, “Spartak” and “acron” – literally scream in full voice that bronze for them is a powerful stimulus. And bronze – here it is, already side by side.
And to this bonus you need to add another likely incentive, resurrecting in memory the events of a year ago. In May 2024, in the very unique “triple twist”, Dynamo was the closest gold to gold. It was it before the final tour was leading, ahead of two points “Zenit” and three – “Krasnodar”. Everything was in his hands.
And the Dynamo shut up visiting the same Krasnodar. And they lost in such an offensive way that you can’t wish the enemy. The only goal at the beginning of the second half was scored by the best Krasnodar striker John Cordoba, and after that the Dynamo had a bunch of opportunities to equalize, but they beat either the gate or their frame. So Krasnodar deprived them of almost faithful gold, which was inherent in Zenit, who somehow defeated Rostov. Such stories are not forgotten for a long time. And revenge in football is a pretty attractive dish, especially if it is flavored with increased premium for victory over the team, which is associated with a painful misfire.
