Friday 10^th May (CET 10:30)

FC Orenburg v FC Ural

Matchday 28 in the RPL begins with FC Orenburg taking on FC Ural. The Blue-Whites’ prospects of a 6^th place finish and possible Europa League football next season are fading and only a win here will keep them in contention. Poor results have struck them at the worst possible time such as the 2-0 defeat to Rubin on Matchday 27 and the 2-1 away defeat to FC FC Enisey on Matchday 25.

FC Ural go into this encounter on the back of a second straight defeat after a 1-0 home loss against Spartak on Matchday 27. The Bumblebees, however, have a five point cushion over Krylia Sovetov in 13^th place, the final promotion/relegation play-off spot. They are, therefore, nearly safe from any threat of relegation and victory over FC Orenburg to confirm their survival would be a perfect tonic to take into their Russian Cup Semi Final second leg against Arsenal Tula, where they currently hold a 1-0 advantage.

Both sides come into this game after a few poor recent results, so expect a tight affair, FC Orenburg are ranked 7^th out of 16^th in the RPL for home form, FC Ural are ranked 9^th out of 16 for away form.

Friday 10^th May (CET 13:00)

Dinamo v FC Rostov

Friday’s second encounter sees Dinamo Moscow take on FC Rostov at Arena Khimki. The Blue-Whites, currently in 12^th place still have work to do before they can be sure that their new stadium will be playing host to top-level football next season. Nonetheless, a battling 2-2 draw against CSKA on Matchday 27 is a perfect result to take into the Rostov clash. A win here could be a decisive blow in putting daylight between themselves and Krylia in 13^th place who trail Dinamo by just two points.

FC Rostov arrive into the encounter after a battling 1-1 home draw against FC Krasnodar. A result which underlines their strong home form. The point lifted them up to 7^th place in the standings and means they are still in with a chance of finishing 6^th place. However, for FC Rostov, an even more important game is on the horizon next midweek, the Second Leg of their Russian Cup Semi Final against Lokomotiv at Rostov Arena. With FC Rostov edging the First Leg 2-2 and having two away goals, they have a golden chance to progress to the Cup final.

This therefore, could be a golden opportunity for Dinamo to claim the victory that they need which providing other results fall in their favour all but guarantees their safety. Dinamo are ranked 10^th out of 16 for home form, whereas FC Rostov are ranked 7^th out of 16 for away form. Expect a tight tussle at Arena Khimki.

Friday 10^th May (CET 15:30)

Anzhi v Arsenal Tula

Friday could well be a pivotal day for Anzhi. The Dagestan-based outfit lost 3-1 away to bottom club FC Enisey on Matchday 27 in what could prove a fatal blow to their survival chances. Now trailing FC Ufa by five points and with three games remaining, time is running out in their quest to avoid automatic relegation.

The way events are unfolding, Arsenal Tula could end up having an important role in deciding the top and bottom of the RPL standings come the end of the season. The Cannoneers defeated Lokomotiv 2-0 at home on Matchday 27, a result which secured Zenit their first RPL championship since 2014-15. Now their attention switches to the bottom of the standings, where with a win, they could deal the final blow to Anzhi’s survival dream.

Bottom of the RPL form table over the last five games with just one draw and four defeats, it would appear Anzhi have little chance. However, a glimmer of hope is there. Arsenal will have the distraction of the Second Leg of their Russian Cup Semi Final against FC Ural next midweek to contend with. Furthermore, the Tula outfit are not as strong away as they are at home and only sit 10^th out of 16 teams when it comes to away form.

Friday 10^th May (CET 18:00)

Lokomotiv v Rubin

Friday’s late kick-off sees Lokomotiv take on Rubin at RZD Arena. The Railroaders fell to a 2-0 defeat on Matchday 27 at Arsenal Tula and with this loss, evaporated their faint championship hopes. Yuri Semin’s outgoing champions must now regroup and attempt to finish the season in the top 3 positions in order to guarantee Champions League football next season. It is not just in the league where Lokomotiv have important upcoming games, they also have next midweek the Second Leg of their Russian Cup Semi-Final against FC Rostov.

Rubin come into this game after recording a much needed 2-0 win over FC Orenburg on Matchday 27. With this victory, Rubin are all but assured of avoiding slipping into the promotion/relegation play-offs and can look forward to top flight football next season. Manager Kurban Berdyev will however, demand that his players maintain their focus and end the season strongly.

Rubin have only won once away all season, however, with Lokomotiv having the distraction of a Russian Cup Semi Final to prepare for, this could be an opportunity for the Tatarstan outfit.

Saturday 11^th May (CET 13:00)

FC Enisey v FC Krasnodar

Saturday’s early game sees FC Enisey take on FC Krasnodar in Krasnoyarsk. For FC Enisey, their date of destiny has arrived, a win is the only result possible which could prolong their stay in the RPL for at least another week. A victory for the Siberians may not even be enough should results elsewhere go against them given they are currently seven points adrift of 14^th placed FC Ufa with just three games left. However, a fine 3-1 home victory against Anzhi on Matchday 27 was a positive memory to take from this season.

Whilst FC Enisey need points to prolong their survival hopes, FC Krasnodar’s is equally as important at the other end of the table. After letting a goal advantage fall away in a 1-1 draw against FC Rostov on Matchday 27, the Bulls are now two points adrift of second placed Lokomotiv and two points clear of fourth placed CSKA. With only the top two in the RPL guaranteed Champions League football without the need for a play-off next season, FC Krasnodar really need three points here.

One looks at the quality of the two squads and it is hard to make a case for a shock FC Enisey win. However, their aforementioned 3-1 win over Anzhi means the Siberians have collected seven points from their last five games. This means they sit 7^th out of 16 in the form table over the last five games. FC Krasnodar, by contrast, only sit 9^th and will have to be focused.

Saturday 11^th May (CET 15:30)

Akhmat Grozny v Krylia Sovetov

Saturday’s second game comes from Grozny where Akhmat take on Krylia Sovetov. The home side earned a credible home 1-1 draw against Zenit on Matchday 27. In truth, Akhmat were the better side throughout the game and were unlucky not to win the game against the newly crowned Russian champions.

Krylia Sovetov go into the game having spurned a great opportunity to at minimum secure 13^th spot in the RPL and a promotion/relegation play-off against 4^th place in the second tier FNL. On Matchday 27, they conceded a late equaliser against FC Ufa in a 1-1 draw, had Krylia hung on, they could have drawn level on points with 12^th place Dinamo Moscow and increased their chances of escaping the play-offs.

Grozny is always a tough place for opposing teams to visit as Zenit found out last weekend. Krylia are also ranked only 11^th out of 16 for away form in the RPL this season. However, Akhmat are an inconsistent side, so Krylia therefore have hope. Krylia’s urgency for a result in this game may also be accelerated by the fact that they have two remaining tough games to finish the season, Spartak at home and CSKA away.

Sunday 12 May (CET 15:30)

Spartak v FC Ufa

Sunday’s first game sees Spartak take on FC Ufa at Otkritie Arena. Spartak go into the game having broken their bad run of results with a 1-0 away win in Yekaterinburg against FC Ural on Matchday 27. The Red Whites desperately needed this result as Arsenal Tula are pushing them hard for 5^th place and guaranteed Europa League qualification for next season.

FC Ufa rescued a point in a 1-1 away draw against Krylia Sovetov on Matchday 27 courtesy of a 93^rd minute injury time equaliser from Romanian defender Ionut Nedelcearu. This result ensures that they remain just two points behind 13^th placed Krylia. However, any hope of now finishing 12^th and avoiding the promotion/relegation playoffs looks remote. FC Ufa may therefore have to prepare for the lottery of the playoffs to preserve their RPL place for next season.

Spartak’s home form has been average all season, only 6 victories from 14 games and ranked only 9^th out of 16 in the RPL. Conversely though, it is much better than FC Ufa’s away form, FC Ufa are ranked second worse for away form in the RPL and are the only side in the Russian top flight to not win away from home all season. This weekend would be an ideal time to break that poor run, after all, better late than never.

Sunday 12^th March (CET 18:00)

Zenit v CSKA

Matchday 28’s final games comes from St Petersburg where Zenit face CSKA Moscow. For Zenit, this weekend is the homecoming coronation for the new champions of Russia. A 1-1 away draw against Akhmat on Matchday 27 combined with Arsenal defeating Lokomotiv 2-0 secured Zenit’s first league title since the 2014-15 season. A richly deserved title for Sergei Semak in his debut season at the helm of the Light Blues.

CSKA come into the clash against Zenit on the back of a rescuing a 2-2 home draw with Muscovite rivals Dinamo with a late equaliser, a result which has damaged their Champions League qualification hopes. Should the Horses fail to qualify for the Champions League next season, it would be the first time since the 2011-12 campaign that they miss out on a spot at European football’s top table. Once again in the draw against Dinamo, CSKA’s home form which has been below-par all season let them down.

Zenit, in front of what could be a full-capacity crowd will desire a win to add some celebration to their championship coronation. However, there is hope for CSKA, they have the best away record in the RPL having only lost twice in 14 games all season. Can the Moscow team therefore stampede all over Zenit’s title celebration in party-pooper fashion?