unusual race
The title race in the Russian Premier League this year annoys some, but most people like it, especially when it comes to neutral fans. Some, such as commentator Konstantin Genich, describe what is happening as a “movie comedy”, but one thing is for sure: the fight for the RPL title in the 2023/24 season has proven to be unique.
Before the final round, three clubs are competing for the gold medal: Dynamo of the capital, St. Zenit of St. Petersburg and Krasnodar. Moreover, last weekend, for the first time in the last month, they all won in one round.
It can be said that they came together at a decisive moment, but in this fight every round is decisive and has been for a long time. Despite this, teams had experienced consecutive misfires before.
“Krasnodar” entered the spring part of the championship as the leader of the standings, but in 11 rounds played in 2024 they achieved only four wins, meanwhile having a winning streak of four and three matches.
Zenit started much better. First there was a tense goalless draw with Spartak, then a big away win against Ural, and after a draw with Krylia Sovetov in the third spring round, Sergei Semak’s team made it three consecutive victories in the championship. Especially the blue-white-blue team, which defeated its direct rival Krasnodar (2:1), included the Russian Cup matches against Spartak in this series, and St. It resulted in the St. Petersburgers advancing to the next round of the tournament.
At that moment, it looked like Zenit would definitely win their sixth consecutive title, but then Semak’s team suffered three defeats in four games, with one draw. The main thing here was the failure in the Moscow match with Dynamo with the only late goal of Konstantin Tyukavin (1:0).
Dinamo, which initially fell behind the leading duo, started the spring with two wins, but then seemed to say goodbye to its championship hopes by losing three matches in a row. But no. The blue-whites approached the last round with a streak of six consecutive wins, including their success in the Zenit match.
Marcel Lička’s team showed its character more than once by winning during the matches. Its essence was the confrontation with foreigners Sochi and Baltika. In both matches, Dynamo lost with a score of 1:2 at the beginning of extra time, but in the end they not only won back, but also grabbed all three points.
unique season
As a result, Dinamo entered the last round in first place, in a situation where everything was in their hands. Although the club’s fans still do not fully believe in the possibility of a title that their team has not seen in 48 years, since the title of the Soviet Union.
Currently, Dinamo has 56 points, Zenit has 54 and Krasnodar has 53 points. At the same time, Krasnodar will host Dinamo in the last round, St. Zenit in St. Petersburg will face Rostov, who is strong but no longer motivated in the tournament plan.
The maximum possible points for this season’s champion is 59 points. The last time the title holder received fewer points was in 2006, when CSKA and Spartak won 58 points in 30 rounds and the army team took first place in individual competitions. For comparison: Spartak, CSKA and Zenit, who finished the top three in the 2016/17 season, scored more than 60 points.
If Dynamo wins the championship, it will be a unique championship because never before has a champion played so poorly in defence.
The blue-whites give abnormally high chances to their goals, so they often have to turn matches around.
The title could be the sixth in a row for Zenit, after which the blue-white-blues will repeat Spartak’s record under Oleg Romantsev, who won six consecutive Russian titles from 1996 to 2001.
Well, “Krasnodar”, in principle, has never been the first in its history, and even now the imminence of victory seems to have played a cruel joke on the “bulls”: they could not stand the pressure.
Layouts at the finish line
The Bulls’ head-to-head meeting with Dynamo in Krasnodar simultaneously simplifies the situation at the finish line and gives a special sharpness to the intrigue of the final round. Obviously everyone will be motivated and anything can happen.
At the same time, to win the championship, Dynamo only needs to play in a draw. In this case, there will be a 3-point difference between the Lichki team and Krasnodar, and Zenit will reach points equality with the blue-whites by beating Rostov. However, Semak’s team lost to Dinamo in both matches in this RPL draw and will therefore have a lower point total if the points are tied.
The club of the northern capital will be able to defend its title only with its own victory and defeat of Dinamo. Overall this option doesn’t look great.
Moreover, “Krasnodar”, which defeated the blue-white team in the first round in Moscow, will now leave “Dynamo” behind in additional indicators with its victory in the last round. And then Murad Musaev’s men will have to wait for Zenit to misfire. Rostov, St. If they score any points in St. Petersburg, the title will go to Dynamo or Krasnodar.
It is interesting that at the moment only one team in the entire RPL has fixed its position – this is Akhmat, which is in tenth place. Anyone can change their position, but for Sochi the current 16th place or possible 15th place would mean direct relegation from the top league.
What are you thinking?
Source: Gazeta
Gregory Robert is a sports aficionado and a writer for “Social Bites”. He provides in-depth coverage of the latest sporting events and trends, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the world of sports.