There are no plans to widen the gap at the top of the leaderboard.

Ural pushed from the bottom, Fakel caused a sensation by nailing Lokomotiv, Orenburg scored 8 goals from Zenit and Karpin’s Rostov found the key to Spartak: these are the main events of last week. The pursuit of the current champion of Russia continues (the gap between the 2nd and the 7th team is 4 points), and from the matches between the competitors there will be only a duel between Zenit and Dynamo. This means that 6 teams can remain in the competition at the same time.

Ural – Akhmat

– Gancharenko waited for his first victory after returning to the Urals. The meeting with “Torpedo” proved nervous due to the penalty, but Bikfalvi scored a brace and brought “bombi” 3 points. The Urals also found a switchboard for Eric – Mingiyan Beveev gave the Romanian a great pass at that moment with the second goal (Denis Kulakov always did). Yekaterinburg residents should never stop if they want to get out of the relegation zone. In addition, changes are being prepared in Akhmat, which can be used.

– Leadership of Grozny residents decided to refuse cooperation with Andrey Talalaev. Such a step can lead to serious consequences: Akhmat has completely adopted the principles of his coach, and the specialist does not see a full-fledged successor. Most likely, the appearance of the club will be rebuilt, which will take a long time. It will be difficult for Yuri Nagaitsev’s team with the Urals.

“Torpedo” – CSKA

– CSKA continue to move confidently in the league – they have not let Krasnodar take the lead and are chasing Zenit. 3 points clear of the league leaders – the result of a full-time match. So far the rossoblù have a good chance of maintaining a minimal advantage until the next personal meeting.

– It is impossible to understand what else Torpedo needs to keep scoring points – Ural allowed the Muscovites to create chances on their doorstep, Avtozavodtsy had the right to take penalties. If the team doesn’t even realize a hundred percent chance, that’s a big clue RPL – not their league.

Rostov – The wings of the Soviets

– Valery Karpin and teammates jumped into the top three of the league, dismantling Spartak. We focused on ensuring that the opponent did not have free space at the gates of the southerners and realized the possibilities of him. After such success, it is too early to go back in the next round.

– Krylia is a good team with promising players in the center. It lacks reliability, stability and implementation. With “Khimki” the Samarans played 0: 0. This result is attributable to the changes of the scheme: after the usual 4-4-2 to 3 central, it is quite difficult to change. But the output can increase the attack potential.

– The progress of the match will depend, among other things, on how Igor Osinkin approaches the formation, if he decides to return to basic settings in front of a formidable opponent or if he risks keeping the 3-4-3.

Dynamo – Zenit

– The most serious test for Dinamo, which was not handled by anyone CSKA, nor Spartak. The white and blue are not at the level of willingness to play with Zenit on par. The recruits have not fully integrated into the concept, although they will strengthen the team in the future.

– Zenit calmly scores the maximum possible points, losing them only at a party. In the ranks of Karavaev, and Claudinho recovered from the injury, so much so that St. Petersburg avoided a decline due to lack of leaders.

– Slavisa Jokanovic’s teams are stylistically not the most pleasant rivals for the Blue-White-Blue. Muscovites do not appreciate possession, their full backs focus on defense: the emphasis shifts to counter-attacks. The outcome of the fight will depend on the reliability of this defense.

Pari NN – Orenburg

– What a beautiful Nizhny Novgorod under Galaktionov! The team has laid a solid foundation so that in case of failures in the next rounds, they don’t end up in the common area. Orenburg is another rival that can help build on success.

– 0: 8 from “Zenith” – the result that Marcel Lichka’s wards will remember for a long time. They have yet to meet Rostov before the weekend: a defeat in this match could affect the team’s mood even more. Now more than ever it is important to show character so as not to crumble in the future with the main rivals.

Sochi – Fakel

– The southerners are in balance between the 7th and 5th lines and are only 3 points behind the third place in the Premier League – after the departure of Vladimir Fedotov, Sochi had to return to the level of the average farmer. Meanwhile, the Tochilin-Garanin team is more successful in the new championship and for the first time managed to beat a direct competitor in front of Dinamo.

– First win of the season, and also about Lokomotiv – these players from Voronezh can be proud, even taking into account the opponent’s crisis. Fakel, contrary to forecasts, continues to float and does not sink to the bottom RPL. It will be much harder with the Sochi residents, but the next match against Torpedo is where you can get a second win.

Krasnodar – Khimki

– The assault on the first 3 failed, Krasnodar fell CSKA due to penalties. It is not worth getting stuck with failure, the Bulls must keep up in the fights with Loko, Khimki, Pari NN and Krylia and wait for a match with their neighbors in the standings – the match against Rostov will only take place in early October.

– The new manager helped Khimki score their first points after a five-game losing streak. In the Cup – still a failure, but at least Denis Glushakov scored the first goal. Khimki is starting a period of tension.

Spartak – Lokomotiv

– Moscow derby, in which the opponents swapped places. Spartak had gotten out of hand a year earlier, with Loko it’s happening now.

– “Red-white” was indicated at their real level after an abnormal start. Yes, and those figures were right, but the point is another: Guillermo Abascal’s team did not pass the first stability test. It was not possible to continue spreading their ideas for the match with Zenit: St. Petersburg pushed them to the gate. Rehabilitation failed in the game with “Rostov” – the southerners played on Spartak’s weaknesses. There will be double-3s this weekend.

– Another restructuring is in preparation in Lokomotiv, the last hooks of the German strategy are the sports director Thomas Zorn and the mentor Josef Zinnbauer. It is unlikely that the latter without Compper will be able to do anything on his own. So it is quite likely that the cup match with Krasnodar will end in defeat, followed by separation from the remnants of Ralf Rangnick’s ideas. For the match with Spartak, Loko will probably adapt to a new look.