Spartak Moscow’s head coach Guillermo Abascal was visibly dissatisfied with the current goalkeeper options and signaled that the red-and-whites’ management should identify a fresh starting option for the squad ahead of the next campaign. This stance was reported by Match TV, which highlighted the coach’s intent to reinforce the position during the summer transfer window.
According to the outlet, Abascal is uneasy about Alexander Maksimenko’s performances in the recent Russian Premier League fixtures. The club is expected to assemble a concise pool of potential shot-stoppers who could bolster Spartak’s depth and potentially compete for the starting role as the season progresses into the off-season.
In the first half of the season, Maksimenko, aged 25, featured in 14 matches for Spartak. He conceded 16 goals and secured shutouts in five of those appearances. Alexander Selikhov appeared in five matches, yielding four goals, while Ilya Svinov has two games remaining in hand and has allowed six goals so far. These figures illustrate a goalkeeping department under scrutiny as the club weighs its options for sustained performance at the highest level.
As things stand, Spartak sits sixth in the table with 31 points collected across 20 rounds of the championship. Abascal’s side will host Ural on March 30, a fixture that could become a turning point in assessing the reliability and form of the current goalkeeping corps under pressure in a crucial phase of the season.
Meanwhile, after 20 rounds, Zenit St. Petersburg leads the standings with 40 points. Krasnodar sits in second place, barely ahead of the chasing pack by a single point. Dinamo Moscow is firmly in the top three with 38 points, signaling a tightly contested race at the top. The narrative surrounding the title chase and the mid-table fight adds urgency to Spartak’s decision as the club seeks to strengthen its squad before the window closes.
In the most recent results, Dynamo delivered a heavy setback, conceding four goals in their RPL clash, underscoring the margins and pressures that exist across the league and the need for more robust performances at both ends of the pitch. The situation in Moscow’s red-and-white camp remains fluid, with management watching the landscape closely, weighing internal development against potential external additions to ensure a competitive stride in the second half of the season and beyond (Match TV).”