The former CSKA Moscow defender and USSR national team member, Vladimir Ponomarev, spoke in an interview with socialbites.ca about the Russia Premier League race. He believes the army club has what it takes to push for a spot in the top three during the spring portion of the season.
According to Ponomarev, CSKA has the ability to close the gap with the league leaders. He noted that the current squad is capable of delivering stronger performances as the campaign resumes, and he expects the club to be a serious contender for the upper tier of the table.
“From what CSKA showed on the field, eighth place feels undeserved for a club with this level of talent,” he remarked. “With the spring schedule, the squad can vie for a top three finish. The team already demonstrates solid, well-structured play and has strong player recruitment, so I look forward to watching them challenge for second or third place. We won’t reach first place without urgent improvement, but a medal bid is well within reach.”
CSKA currently sits eighth in the standings with 28 points after 18 rounds. The season is set to resume in early spring, with the 19th round kicking off the second half of the campaign and the action resuming after the winter break.
Under coach Vladimir Fedotov, the team will restart with a home match against Orenburg. The winter休 pause left the club positioned in mid-table, and the reserve squad has been working to fine tune tactical setups and personnel choices for the stretch run.
In related notes, there was speculation about Ilzat Akhmetov’s status on Zenit’s bench during the recent discussions, reflecting ongoing assessment of squad depth across top Russian clubs. Attribution: interview summaries and match reports compiled by sports outlets and analysts.