A discussion about a possible clash between the top players from the Russian Premier League (RPL) and teams from the Media League would likely draw greater spectator interest than a contest pitting RPL players against a squad from the First League. This perspective appeared in a comment on the Legal betting portal, attributed to Artem Sokol, a defender with Rodina.
“A match where a Media Football League side faces an RPL team would be more compelling for fans. The Media League sits somewhere between the RPL and the First League in terms of level and visibility. The First League tends to attract limited attention and is not widely watched,” Sokol explained.
He added that such fixtures would not replace the allure of the Russian national team and its games against other nations. When addressing the First League, the defender noted that supporters generally view it as a lower-tier competition. He warned that a victory by a First League side over an RPL club could generate a resonance that would be unwanted by many stakeholders, creating headlines more for controversy than for notable football achievements.
Meanwhile, the Russian national team is slated to begin a series of friendlies at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam. Valery Karpin’s squad is set to meet Vietnam on September 5 and Thailand on September 7, with kick-off times scheduled for 16:00 Moscow time on both occasions.
In the previous year, 2024, the national team played two warm-up matches, delivering a 4-0 victory over Serbia in Moscow in March and repeating a similar scoreline to defeat Belarus in Minsk in June. These results helped maintain a competitive rhythm ahead of forthcoming international fixtures.
There were earlier indications from the Russian national team’s headquarters about ongoing assessments of players, including Golenkov, with Masalitin and other former players providing input to guide selections for the national squad. The coaching staff has emphasized a balanced approach to evaluating talent, weighing both current form and potential development within the national team framework.