We have picked out the key plotlines of matchday 24 of the Russian Premier Liga.

Baturenko baptized against long-term employers

Rotor Volgograd replaced former Dynamo Kyiv boss Aleksandr Khatskevich with Yury Baturenko during the international break to give the Tajikistan-born coach his first taste in sole charge of a senior side. Baturenko first represented Lokomotiv Moscow as a player when he joined in 1992, wearing the red and green for four years. His coaching career began at the turn of the millennium as Yury Semin’s assistant at Lokomotiv, and within four years had helped guide the Railwaymen to the Russian Premier Liga twice.

After various roles from youth to reserve team level, he followed Semin to FK Qabala in Azerbaijan, then Mordovia Saransk and Anzhi Makhachkala before returning to the RZD Arena in 2016. Now he must take his bow as a head coach against the club where he forged the majority of his career in football, with his new charges rooted in the relegation playoff zone and only four points from the automatic drop zone.

To make matters even more daunting, Rotor remain the lowest scorers in the league and take on a side currently enjoying the longest run in the top flight. Lokomotiv’s aspirations are about far more than survival; four wins on the bounce have catapulted them up to third place, and just four points from the Champions League places.

One quirk of Lokomotiv’s success is that they have spread their goals out more evenly than most. In fact, 10 other RPL clubs have at least one player with more league goals to his name than the Railroaders’ top marksmen, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Fedor Smolov, who only have five goals to their name. 

Club legend Ivica Olic returns to CSKA Moscow

The 3-2 defeat to Zenit St. Petersburg just before the international break was the straw that broke the camel’s back for CSKA and Viktor Gancharenko. Following just over four years in charge of the Armymen, the glitz and explosive glamour of Champions League wins at the Luzhniki and Bernabeu over Real Madrid had given way to a few too many near misses, and the Belarusian parted ways with the club.

His replacement is an iconic figure in one of the most epic periods in CSKA’s recent history: Ivica Olic. The Croatian forward spent three and a half years at the club, during which time he was crowned Russian champion three times, won the Russian Cup and Russian Super Cup twice, and most impressively of all, lifted the very UEFA Cup that one corner of the club’s new stadium is modelled on.

There is no question, therefore, of the reception Olic will receive from CSKA fans. He must wait to be welcomed on home turf though, as his new side travel to Saransk to take on FC Tambov first. His first task, other than reacquainting himself with his former employers, will be to rapidly improve a run of form that has seen the team collect just two wins from the last nine league matches.

Like Baturenko, this will be his first position as head coach. It will be his first match in club management full stop in fact, as his coaching apprenticeship to date comprises of just over three years as assistant manager of the Croatian national team under Zlatko Dalic. Having been granted Russian citizenship this week, he is already well on the way to settling into the task. Now the hard work begins.

Conference call for Rubin and Sochi

FC Sochi are the new kids on the block in the upper echelons of Russian football. After forming three years ago, they have shot up to the top flight and are presently on course for Europe at breakneck speed. As the season run-in draws closer, however, the competition to squeeze into Europe is getting tighter and tighter, with Moscow sides Lokomotiv and CSKA sandwiching Sochi, level on 40 points.

Vladimir Fedotov has effectively got his club’s continental ambitions in his own hands; keep their heads above the waterline and they will be swimming in UEFA’s latest club competition, the Conference League, next season. Visiting Rubin Kazan present a stern challenge however, even if Sochi are unbeaten in their three encounters to date. Two of those competitive meetings ended in Sochi wins, bothe times by them scoring three goals.

Although Khimki spoiled the powerful run of form Leonid Slutsky had put together last time out, there are a number of bright sparks lighting up Rubin. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is fast becoming a household name across Europe after his exploits for his country - he was named Georgia’s player of the year in 2020, and recently scored against 2010 World champions Spain - but his teammates are forging an equally thrilling path. Denis Makarov scored yet another stunning goal for Russia under-21s in Hungary, while Ilya Samoshnikov was called up to the latest senior squad as reward for his fine form.

Rubin know that a comfortable win will see them leapfrog Sochi in the table. If they need a little extra motivation, there are plenty of old faces that will return to Kazan in the shape of Soslan Dzhanaev, Elmir Nabiullin, Christian Noboa, Ibragim Tsallagov and Ivelin Popov, but it is the new ones that are just as likely to shine.

Karpin’s magic spell over old club Spartak

Valery Karpin holds an impressive record over his former club as a manager. Since taking over at Rostov he has faced Spartak six times in the RPL, losing just one of the last five. In fact, the magic has worked both ways; when in charge of Spartak, Karpin took his side to Rostov five times, losing three of them. Even the two wins were the narrowest of margins.

Rostov have struggled a little for a consistent source of goals this season. They are the joint-lowest scorers in the top 10, and one of their two joint-top goalscorers - Kento Hashimoto, with five strikes to his name - hasn’t featured since mid-November due to a knee injury. 

Spartak have no such problems finding the net. Their three top scorers have managed more between them than Rostov’s entire squad put together, and the team have scored 13 goals in their last three league league matches alone.

Whatever the apparent disparity on firepower, Rostov are unbeaten in their last five league meetings against Spartak. WIll Karpin manage to cast another spell over his old club?

Photo: Denis Tyrin/CSKA Moscow; Rotor Volgograd