RPL: Dynamo Chase Champions League Spot

© RIA Novosti . Vladimir Fedorenko / Go to the mediabankDynamo Moscow
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Dynamo Moscow go into Sunday’s derby clash with Lokomotiv knowing that only a win will keep alive their hopes of Champions League qualification, unless CSKA Moscow drop points on Monday.

Dynamo Moscow go into Sunday’s derby clash with Lokomotiv knowing that only a win will keep alive their hopes of Champions League qualification, unless CSKA Moscow drop points on Monday.

After Zenit St. Petersburg secured the title last week, Moscow rivals CSKA, Dynamo and Spartak are battling for second place and Russia’s final Champions League spot.

CSKA lead Dynamo by two points with two games remaining, with Spartak one point further back, ahead of a round of games played Sunday and Monday because of Russian holidays.

Dynamo have been shaken this week by events off the pitch, as top scorer Igor Semshov claimed the team were “ashamed” that coach Sergei Silkin opted to “park the bus” in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Spartak, before issuing an extensive apology on Friday.

Semshov and captain Andriy Voronin, a former Liverpool striker, both played for the Dynamo reserves team Saturday, the second reserve game in a row for Voronin, who has started just one of Dynamo’s last seven games amid a reported feud with Silkin.

Dynamo face a Lokomotiv team without a win in six games and fighting for a place in next season’s Europa League. The Railwaymen are also missing first-choice goalkeeper Guilherme, out with a damaged muscle in his leg.

A win against Dan Petrescu’s FC Kuban will be enough for CSKA to secure second place if Dynamo lose, thus avoiding a final-day decider away to Rubin Kazan.

Kuban showed last month that they can punch above their weight with a 2-2 draw against Zenit that delayed the St. Petersburg side’s title celebrations.

Brazil striker Vagner Love has returned to wish his old team well in his first appearance at a CSKA game since he returned to Brazil with Flamengo in January.

“I’ve been closely watching how my old team is playing. I’m pleased for their wins and I worry when they aren’t successful,” he said on the CSKA website Saturday.

“It seems like I haven’t been away for that long, but I really missed my friends, the fans and Moscow.”

Spartak’s chances of Champions League qualification are slim. They are without a win in three games, and face a difficult task away to champions Zenit on Sunday.

Zenit’s 2-2 draw with Rubin on Wednesday showed the team had lost none of their fighting spirit, midfielder Sergei Semak said this week.

“The team was full of competitive motivation. Our job is to go out and play to win, and how that works out – we’ll see.”

Coach Luciano Spalletti’s decision to give fringe players a game against Rubin did not mean the team was less motivated, he said.

“Those who came in played to the maximum. It’ll be exactly the same against Spartak.”

Zenit are to be awarded the Russian Premier League trophy on Sunday, their last home game of the season.

The final match at the top of the table sees Guus Hiddink’s fifth-placed Anzhi team host seventh-placed Rubin as both eye Europa League qualification. Rubin, however, will have another chance to secure a European place in the Russian Cup final against Dynamo on Wednesday.

The Anzhi game is to be played at the team's home stadium in Makhachkala, where two car bombs killed at least 13 people on Thursday. Anzhi officials have reportedly said they will not introduce extra security measures for the game.

At the bottom of the table, FC Tomsk and Spartak Nalchik are both already relegated, while 14th placed FC Volga are almost certain to face a relegation playoff.

Volga take on 13th-placed Rostov on Sunday, as Rostov try to escape the other playoff place, although Volga will be without coach Dmitry Cheryshev, serving the first game of a two-match touchline ban for haranguing the referee after a 3-1 midweek defeat to Terek Grozny.

Also on Saturday, Amkar Perm visit Terek, before Monday sees FC Tomsk host Nalchik and FC Krasnodar take on Krylya Sovetov.

 

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