Spartak M – Sochi

Spartak and Sochi will play it safe in the first half

Spartak take on Sochi at home on Sunday, August 14. "The Red-Whites have made their fans believe in their title prospects after three straight victories, but it's not all so obvious. Spartak defeated Krasnodar, Orenburg and overcame resistance from hopeless Ural by a huge margin. "The Red-Whites looked powerful and played attacking football, but still the level of the opponents left much to be desired. Orenburg and Ural are two of the biggest underdogs of the season. Together, these teams have picked up three points from four rounds. In the match against Krasnodar, everything was decided after a suspension for the Bulls. Before that, Krasnodar had been tormenting the Red-Whites' defence. The team's prospects will also undoubtedly be affected by the loss of Victor Moses. Guillermo Abascal has found a new role for the Nigerian. Moses was moved into the attack and succeeded in partnering Sobolev and Promes. A very striking triangle was emerging. Now, Spartak will be without Moses for the rest of the season, which poses two problems. Firstly, Khlusevic will have to be used on the left wing for the games against top clubs. Secondly, in attack, the choice will be between Zinkovskiy and Ignatov. This is a clear loss in quality at the moment. Sochi should be a good test for Spartak. Sochi won three of their four matches. The only defeat came against CSKA on the road. The match against Nizhny Novgorod was one of the most dominant games of the season. Sochi had an 80% share of possession and created chances for three games in advance. The low score does not reflect what was happening on the pitch. Nizhny Novgorod actually scored their only goal after a single foray into the attack. Spartak logically look the favourites to win the game against Sochi, but the Moses injury factor could seriously affect their understanding of the attack. The visitors are now at the peak of confidence, although they do not have the level of performance that the Red-Whites have. Sochi could well give up high pressing, given their opponents' trump cards. Garanin has an organised defensive line. It is tempting to assume that there will not be many goals in the first half. Sochi will try to act carefully without taking unnecessary risks. The southerners are one of the most uncomfortable opponents for Spartak at the moment. The winless streak for the Moscow side in this clash is five games.