The RPL season went on pause until the end of February – it’s time to sum up the interim results. The past 18 rounds have given not only a lot of vivid impressions, but also an abundance of statistical data that requires detailed analysis.

Lokomotiv is the most creative team

• 1. Lokomotiv – 34.93 xG
• 2. Dynamo – 33.45
• 3. Krasnodar – 33.15
• 4. Zenit – 33.1
• 5. CSKA – 28.66

The indicators of created chances and real goals do not always coincide, but in the case of Lokomotiv everything is in order both with the number of chances and with effectiveness. Mikhail Galaktionov’s team not only scored the most (39), but also had the best expected goals. If everything is clear with Loko, then Dynamo’s indicators are impressive with a minus sign. The team in tenth place has the second highest xG result, ahead of even Krasnodar and Zenit, but at the same time scored much fewer goals (27) than it could have. In winter, the main task of the Blue and White coaching staff should be to work on implementation.

Among the leading teams, Spartak is doing the worst with expected goals, having only the eighth result in this indicator (27.64). Samara’s Krylya Sovetov (15.82) and Sochi (13.26) look very bad offensively.

Zenit defends the best

• 1. Zenit – 17.78 xGA
• 2. Krasnodar – 19.4
• 3. Baltika – 22.1
• 4. Dynamo Mx – 22.34
• 5. “Rostov” – 22.75

Atsamaz Revazov and Nino / Photo: © Vyacheslav Evdokimov / FC Zenit

It is generally accepted that individual matches are won by attack, and defense takes titles. In this sense, Zenit should be considered the main favorite for the rest of the season, which has the best expected goals statistics of the opponent (xGA). The top five for this indicator also includes three teams with modest capabilities. Reliable defensive play is the main key to the success of Kaliningrad Baltika and Rostov. Dynamo Makhachkala also looks great defensively, but this team’s bias in favor of destruction greatly affects their performance.

Lokomotiv should be considered a shining example of a team that plays on its own and does not interfere with others doing so. The leader in expected goals and at own goal allowed to create 31.95 xGA – this is 11th in the league. Sochi (36.32) and Krylia (38.61) are doing the worst in terms of defense.

Baltika fouls more often than others

• 1. Baltika – 360 (20 on average)
• 2. “Pari NN” – 315 (17.5)
• 3. “Ruby” – 303 (16.8)
• 4. “Spartak” – 295 (16.4)
• 5. “Orenburg” – 272 (15.1)

Andrei Talalaev does not hide the fact that in some episodes his players have to compensate for their lack of skill with an abundance of tactical fouls. On average, Baltika breaks the rules 20 times per game. For example, Zenit players do this half as often. It is not surprising that in terms of the number of warnings (54), Kaliningraders are the leaders of the season. “Baltika” can easily be called the dirtiest team in the league, but this is unlikely to upset Talalaev much.

Spartak is a master of ball possession

• 1. Spartak – 61.67%
• 2. Zenit – 61.22%
• 3. Krasnodar – 58.61%
• 4. Dynamo – 55.17%
• 5. CSKA – 54.44%

Nail Umyarov / Photo: © FC Spartak

“Spartak” under Dejan Stankovic had the ball more often than others, but in most cases it was sterile possession with a minimum of aggravations. This is evidenced by the average figures for xG (8th place) and shots on target (7th). The Serb failed to establish a positional attack, which was one of the reasons for his dismissal. Not only Spartak needs to improve in this aspect, but also Zenit, which also likes to roll the ball for a long time without much progress. Lokomotiv has been the most effective with the ball this season: with 47.65% of possession, the railway team created and scored more than the rest.

Dynamo is the leader in mileage

1. Dynamo – 2164.7 km

2. Baltika – 2140.4

3. Rostov – 2119.6

4. Sochi – 2119.5

5. Dynamo Mx – 2108.8

Dynamo’s performance is yet another proof that even ideal physical fitness is not a guarantee of success. After the arrival of Valery Karpin, the team’s playing face changed a lot compared to the times of Marcel Lička: Dynamo began to run more, but this did not bring happiness. The same “Baltika” uses the resources of players who are ready to work for 90 minutes much more efficiently. It is curious that the Krasnodar players ran the least during the season (1990 km), which did not prevent them from going into the winter break at the top of the table.

Sergeev ruins the most moments

If in the table of scorers Alexey Batrakov is in first place with 11 goals, then in the list of the best in xG and scoring chances are Dynamo player Ivan Sergeev and Mirlind Daku from Rubin. With 21 clear opportunities to score, Sergeev has only seven goals to his name. The most consistent and effective player in converting chances in the first part of the season was Lokomotiv forward Dmitry Vorobyov, who used 57% of chances.

• 1. Mirlind Daku (Rubin) – 22 chances (9 goals)
• 2. Ivan Sergeev (Dynamo M) – 21 (7)
• 3. Alexey Batrakov (Lokomotiv) – 21 (11)
• 4. John Cordoba (Krasnodar) – 20 (8)
• 5. Dmitry Vorobyov (“Lokomotiv”) – 14 (8)

Kislyak – iron man

Matvey Kislyak / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Alexander Vilf

The main discovery of 2025, by all accounts, was CSKA midfielder Matvey Kislyak. The Russian’s rapid progress allowed him to make his debut for the national team, and the army team can no longer be imagined without this 20-year-old guy. In addition to purely gaming characteristics, Kislyak stands out for his amazing endurance. He is the leader of the team in terms of the number of minutes spent on the field, and this is despite the incredible amount of work that he does on the field. Kislyak’s mileage figures confirm his Iron Man status – the best of anyone in the league.

• 1. Matvey Kislyak (CSKA) – 225.2 km
• 2. Ivan Oblyakov (CSKA) – 212.8
• 3. Nikita Glushkov (“Dynamo” Mx) – 211.5
• 4. Sergey Varatynov (“Baltika”) – 211.2
• 5. Daniil Fomin (Dynamo M) – 205.7

Dzyuba – the king of martial arts

Matvey Lukin and Artyom Dzyuba / Photo: © PFC CSKA

Artem Dzyuba never ceases to amaze even at 37 years old. At a respectable age for football, he is not only Akron’s most productive player (5+4), but also the leader of the RPL in the number of single combats won. The striker is especially good at duels on horseback: out of 221 duels, he won 171 in the air.

• 1. Artem Dzyuba (“Akron”) – 221
• 2. Kevin Andrade (Baltika) – 189
• 3. Egor Teslenko (Rubin) – 177
• 4. Sven Karic (“Paris NN”) – 173
• 5. Egor Golenkov (Rostov) – 167

Glebov – lightning man

The list of the brightest players of the season would be incomplete without mentioning the CSKA left winger. Kirill Glebov has progressed greatly in the past year, and also achieved the highest speed in the championship. It is curious that the top five fastest players include two more army players.

• 1. Kirill Glebov (CSKA) – 35.51 km/h (maximum speed)
• 2. Danil Krugovoy (CSKA) – 35.03
• 3. Renaldo Cephas (Paris NN) – 34.96
• 4. Mohammed Azzi (Dynamo Mx) – 34.92
• 5. Artem Shumansky (CSKA) – 34.92

Borisko – Mr. Reliability

Maxim Borisko / Photo: © Dmitry Chelyapin / Match TV

Stanislav Agkatsev became the best goalkeeper of the RPL last season, but in the new championship two other Krasnodar graduates may prevent him from maintaining this status. In terms of the percentage of shots reflected, two goalkeepers show phenomenal figures: Denis Adamov from Zenit and Maxim Borisko from Baltika.

• 1. Maxim Borisko (Baltika) – 88.1% (0.38 goals on average)
• 2. Denis Adamov (Zenit) – 85.7% (0.5)
• 3. Vitaly Gudiev (Akron) – 78.2% (1.3)
• 4. Anton Mitryushkin (Lokomotiv) – 77.7% (1.23)
• 5. Igor Akinfeev (CSKA) – 76.6% (1)

In addition, Borisko and Adamov are leaders in the number of clean sheets – 12 and 9, respectively. If we take the number of saves (serious saves), then the first place belongs to Anton Mitryushkin, who blossomed in Lokomotiv (22).

Watch live broadcasts of MIR RPL matches on the Match TV and MATCH PREMIER TV channels, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.