RPL teams’ winter training camps: Zenit draw with Botev, Lokomotiv with Jablonec

On 22 January, five teams held friendly matches in preparation for the spring part of the RPL season.

Zenit 2-2 Botev

The RPL leaders played two halves of 40 minutes against the fourth-placed team in Bulgaria’s top flight. Having conceded a penalty in the sixth minute, Zenit equalised thanks to Artem Dzyuba's goal, and after the break Magomed Ozdoev put Zenit ahead. The Bulgarians drew level at the end of the match through a second penalty. Earlier, Zenit beat Emirates 3-0 in Dubai, and on 25 January, the team will finish their training camp with a meeting with the Slovak Zilina.

Akhmat 1-2 Lechia Gdansk

Akhmat kicked off their winter warm-up matches against Polish Ekstraklasa side Lechia, who sit fifth in their league, in the format of four 30-minute periods. Akhmat took the lead in the 55th minute after Daniil Utkin's goal, but conceded twice in the remaining periods and lost. Andrey Talalaev's team has upcoming friendlies scheduled for their second training camp in Belek, facing Kosovan side Llapi and Shkupi from Northern Macedonia on 31 January.

Krylia Sovetov 1-1 Celje

The Slovenian First League outfit were Krylia’s the second training camp opponents after they RPL side had previously beaten Hungarian club Szeged. Igor Osinkin's team started the match with a missed penalty in the second minute, but recovered after the break thanks to Leonid Gerchikov's goal; the striker was invited to join the training camp from Olimp-Dolgoprudny. Krylia Sovetov will play the third and final match of their first training camp against Serbian outfit Radnik on 24 January.

Rostov 0-2 Sparta Prague

In the opening game of their training camp in Spain Rostov met the 36-time champions of the Czech Republic, but were defeated as Sparta scored goals in the 20th and 70th minutes. On 26 January, the team from Prague will take on another RPL side - Lokomotiv.

Lokomotiv 1-1 Jablonec

The match against the Czech First League’s 14th-placed team was Lokomotiv’s first at their Spanish training camp. The Muscovites opened the scoring in the 31st minute after a goal by newcomer Jan Kuchta, who had previously played in the Czech Republic for Slavia. Jablonec replied in the 62nd minute. The Railwaymen will hold all three winter training camps in Spain, with the first one lasting until 27 January.

The schedule of training camps and test matches during the winter break is in the "Winter camps" section

Photo: Lokomotiv Moscow