We have rounded up the key facts and figures from the first 10 RPL matchdays.

Sebastian Szymanski has made five assists in 10 games. The Pole leads the list for most RPL assists so far. Last season, the Dynamo midfielder played 22 games and only made one assist, but in the 2018/19 campaign Szymanski scored the most points for performance when he made seven assists in 34 games for Legia Polska.

Dynamo’s Anton Shunin and Railwayman Marinato Guilherme have kept six clean sheets. Shunin only conceded his first goal this season on matchday four, when ex-Arsenal player Daniil Lesovoy scored a double against the Blue-Whites and later he moved to Dynamo. Further goals were scored against him by FC Ufa, Rubin Kazan and FC Khimki. Guilherme also conceded two more goals, but he had the longest streak without conceding, not letting any goals in from the sixth to the ninth round.

Seven goals have been scored by Christian Noboa in the first third of the championship, which sees him lead the list of top scorers. For the midfielder, this season is one of the most productive in his career - he only scored more in 2010, when he scored eight goals in 27 games for Rubin. The closest challengers to the Ecuadorian are Zenit's Artem Dzyuba and Sardar Azmoun, who have six goals each.

Nine goals were scored between FC Krasnodar and FC Khimki, becoming the most productive match not only in the first third of the season, but also for Krasnodar in the club's history. Incidentally, in that game the southerners set another personal record by scoring seven goals. Previously they had not managed to score more than six times in a match.

Zenit and Spartak have scored 21 points after ten rounds. Both teams share the lead in the table, but Zenit are higher because of additional indicators: they have a goal difference of +15, while Spartak’s is +7. In the 2016-17 season, the teams also shared the top spot in the table after 10 rounds. At that time, Zenit were also ahead of the Red-Whites on tie-breakers, but Spartak ended up winning the championship.

22 years is the age difference between the oldest and youngest RPL player of the 2020/21 season. Tambov goalkeeper Sergey Ryzhikov turned 40 on 19 September, and the next day he played against Lokomotiv. On 26 September, Egor Prutsev, who was 17 years, nine months and three days old at the time of the game, made his RPL debut for Sochi.

Nikola Vlasic has taken 34 shots on goal, 15 of which hit the target. The Croat has taken the most shots in the league, taking about four shots per match on average. A little behind the Armymen midfielder are Denis Makarov from Rubin and Zenit’s Malcom with 32 shots on goal.

Ufa defender Pavel Alikin was 36 years, five months and 13 days old when he scored against Spartak on matchday three, making him the oldest player to score this season. The defender has been playing for Ufa since the 2012/13 season, when the team was still playing in the FNL. Alikin scored his previous goal in a 1-1 draw against Ural on 27 October 2018.

Rotor Volgograd defender Danil Stepanov has made 41 interceptions. The 20-year-old belongs to Rubin Kazan and plays for the Volgograd team on loan. At the same time, the defender has played only seven games on the pitch, making an average of five interceptions per game. Zenit’s defensive midfielder Wilmar Barrios is second in this indicator, taking the ball 37 times.

Rubin winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has taken on opponents 168 times, of which 87 were successful - the most in the league. Kvaratskhelia has scored two goals this season, and in both cases the attacks started with the Georgian stealing possession and then beating several defenders before scoring. On average, Rubin players make 41 take-ons per game, and Kvaratskhelia participates in 17 of them.

192 goals were scored in the first third of the championship. Zenit have scored the most with 21, Krasnodar are next on 18, and Sochi closes out the top three with 17. Rotor have scored the least with just four, although they have missed two matchdays due to positive coronavirus tests.

Photo: Aleksandr Stupnikov/Spartak