On 19 January, two RPL teams held friendly matches in the UAE.

Krasnodar 1-2 Legia

Krasnodar took on Legia Warsaw, currently 17th in the Polish Ekstraklasa. In the first half, Wanderson opened the scoring in the match, but two unanswered goals by the Polish team after the break earned them victory. Krasnodar’s next warm-up match is on 23 January with Zilina.

Zenit 3-0 Emirates

Zenit St. Petersburg took on local UAE top-flight side Emirates. Claudinho opened the scoring in the 18th minute, before Aleksandr Erokhin added two more in the 50th and 56th minutes. The Blue-White-Sky Blues will play Botev on 22 January.