Zenit and Dinamo Face a Pivotal Cup Quarterfinal in St. Petersburg
The former head coach of the Russian national team, Boris Ignatiev, shared his insights with socialbites.ca about the forthcoming quarterfinal stage of the Russian Premier League (RPL) Russian Cup, slated to take place in St. Petersburg. The return match between Zenit from St. Petersburg and Dinamo from Moscow presents both sides with a tangible path to the next phase of the competition.
Ignatiev noted that each club holds distinct advantages as the clash approaches. He explained that he would not hazard a prediction on aggregate success at this stage, because Zenit has multiple options available in terms of squad selection, while Dinamo does not have a clearly defined edge at the moment. The veteran coach suggested that Zenit’s probable advantage lies in playing at their home ground and benefiting from a large and supportive home crowd. He described the match as an excellent test for Dinamo and expressed anticipation for an engaging contest.
The Zenit–Dinamo fixture is scheduled for today, March 13, in St. Petersburg, with the game set to take place at Gazprom Arena. The kickoff is at 20:15 Moscow time, and socialbites.ca will publish a live textual broadcast of the match.
Following the 20th round of action, Zenit leads the RPL table with 40 points after a victory over Ural. Krasnodar sits just one point behind, while Dinamo is third with 38 points, continuing to press the leaders in the standings.
Earlier statements from Valery Gladilin noted that Zenit may face challenges in its upcoming encounter with Dinamo, signaling that the match could test the team’s depth and tactical readiness as the Cup run intensifies.