Turkish football club Trabzonspor plans to play a friendly match against Russian team Zenit Saint Petersburg on November 15 during the international break.
The Turkish club announced the fixture on its official page on X, formerly known as Twitter. A section of Turkish supporters responded to the post by criticizing the club for deciding to schedule a match against Russian opponents.
Trabzonspor currently features two Ukrainian footballers in its squad, midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi and defender Arseniy Batagov. The friendly falls within a period when domestic league tournaments pause for international fixtures.
National team duties and injuries
Ukraine will play a UEFA Nations League match against Northern Ireland on November 14, followed by a fixture against Georgia on November 17. Malinovskyi receives regular call-ups for Ukraine across various competitions, making it unlikely that he will travel to play against the Russian club.
Batagov has also received call-ups to the national team in the past. However, the Ukrainian defender is currently recovering from an injury, leaving his participation in upcoming national team matches uncertain.
Trabzonspor form and managerial changes
Turkish clubs have not faced Russian teams since the 2019 to 2020 season, when Trabzonspor met Russian side Krasnodar in the UEFA Europa League group stage. Trabzonspor is currently going through a period of active turbulence, having secured only one victory in their opening three league matches of the season.
The Turkish side also lost to Hungarian club Ferencvaros in the Europa League qualifying play-offs, dropping into the main stage of the UEFA Conference League. Those results led to the resignation of head coach Fatih Tekke.
Mykhailo Mudryk loan transfer
Meanwhile, another star Ukrainian player has changed clubs. Winger Mykhailo Mudryk moved from Chelsea to fellow London club Tottenham Hotspur on loan with an option to buy.
At Tottenham Hotspur, Mudryk works under head coach Roberto De Zerbi, the Italian manager who previously coached the Ukrainian international during his spell at Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk.
