Tense preparations for the matches.
Zenit – Rostov
St. Petersburg received an adrenaline rush after beating Krasnodar. The “blue, white, and blue” were on the brink of collapse – the “bulls” had long held leading positions and firmly separated themselves from the competition, Zenit fell. CSKAlost to Spartak in a crucial battle and lost points to Lokomotiv. They did everything they could to ensure that the match in the 24th round didn’t determine the championship leader, but rather resolved the issue of Zenit remaining in the race. In this match, Sergei Semak’s performances showed that the team had championship DNA – and at a critical moment, the St. Petersburgers achieved the desired result. Perhaps it was precisely the acute sensations of a near-miss of the title that weren’t enough to generate a surge of fresh emotions, to wake up the leaders. Zenit received them on time – at the finish line, they will have to face Dynamo, the final visits will be difficult. There is a trip to Rostov-on-Don and a home game against Akhmat. And the most important thing for the “blue, white, and blue” – they still have the motivation to take a stand. This will give the team an eye for the cup.
Rostov was actively praised at the beginning after Karpin’s resignation. The team really maintained a clear playing pattern. On the other hand, praise from glasses doesn’t bring much. You can say all you like about the southerners being well-served, but the fact is that the team in the last six rounds has only won twice. The Cup team is clearly useless.
Dynamo –
Central Sports Club of Armenia In the Derby, the hierarchy is clear. If we’re talking about Dynamo, the team has no more goals than the cup. The PM’s project isn’t developing because the leadership and the coach aren’t showing mutual understanding. In the championship, they should have participated more actively in the championship race to avoid repeating last year’s mistakes—in the end, they stole a lot more than they did a year earlier. The question of Mardzel’s future, in fact, is almost resolved. The Czech has only one chance—a cup victory. And the team needs a trophy. Therefore, motivation is prohibitive.
The army is also motivated. But the “blue-white” are pressed into the corner. And the “red-blue” cup isn’t needed by the nose, but as a pleasant bonus. After the transition to a new program, Marco Nikolich has found his game, having lost points in just six rounds in the spring. Against the unstable Zenit and Spartak, the Army Men came close to the three. And in the first match of the Dynamo semifinals, they already claimed victory.
This match will be a battle of contrasts. Nikolich becomes the favorite of the Army fans, bringing the result. The face of support is within the club, which is less among the fans. Marco has good prospects, and his staff must fight off enormous resistance with almost no transfers for his football. The match is even more dramatic because Lichka and Dynamo’s last hope may be deprived of a specialist who was also considered “blue and white” before Mardzel was chosen.
Lokomotiv – Akhmat
A draw with Zenit is a superior result, but on a global scale the spring of the “Wrailway Workers” has not settled. Muscovites won only one of the six championship matches. In addition, matches with Makhachkala and Akhmat were again confirmed – Galaktionov’s youngsters at the start of the championship race. Now those who are others are a biting opponent, but the class manifests itself in the ability to even beat. Both fights ended with a score 1: 1. Before the match with Zenit, they burned with “wings” (1: 5), now they returned with defeat of Kazan (0: 1). The “red-green” fell out of the three and even the top 3, and the “Rubin” is already quite close (separation-four points).
Bare facts: “Akhmat” never lost in the spring, took the glasses from Rubin, Lokomotiv, Spartak, Rostov, rushed away from the starting zone, knocked out “Krasnodar” in the cup. Now the team is at high speed. At the same time, the level of Loko’s performers is higher, and the team is motivated to rehabilitate itself for the slump in the Russian Cup.
“Spartak” – “Ural”
The match may turn out to be much more interesting than it seems at first glance. First of all, because of the “red white” condition. The team rides the emotional swing. After Rubin’s defeat, Muscovites for the first time since 2017 beat Zenit in the championship. They talked about the continuation of the race – and immediately after that Makhachkala punished Spartak in Moscow. St. Petersburg did the “red-white” a favor, having moved the “Krasnodar” home, but now the Muscovites have no right to make a mistake. “Bumblebees” will definitely come out with an outrageous attitude, but “Spartak” leaving all its strength in the cup match does not make sense.
Second, the Yekaterinburgers received an emotional boost in the match against Neftekhimik. The 0-2 draw was a break in the Intermediate League, and the risk of losing to rivals was a factor in the exit.
Russian Premier League – The adrenaline rush forced the team to fire up. It’s possible that the mood from the second half of the league match could be transferred to a cup match. Third, Ural is already a fairly distant opponent for Spartak. This sign of the “Bumblebees” returned to the “Yekaterinburg Arena” after the reconstruction. Then, the hosts won 2-1. In the next three meetings, Ural won two more times and tied once. Between 2018 and 2021, Spartak has generally beaten Ural only once (in May 2019). Since August 2022, the same story has unfolded: six matches – one victory for Spartak. Incidentally, this is the teams’ third Cup meeting in the last seven years. The two previous meetings also ended in Ural’s favor: a draw and a victory in the quarterfinals of the 18/19 Cup, and a draw and a victory in the semifinals of the Russian Premier League in the 22/23 season.
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