Krylia Sovetov – Spartak M

Krylya Sovetov should not be considered favourites against Spartak

On Saturday, 3 June, Samara will host a defining match for the two clubs. The hosts suddenly find themselves in danger of relegation through the knockout stages. Osinkin's side can only win to retain their chances of finishing in twelfth place. A draw would guarantee Spartak a medal, but a win would give them a chance of silverware. Guillermo Abascali's side was disappointed in the last round. "The Red and White played a very typical match for themselves. The club managed not to beat Nizhny Novgorod at home. The coach changed the scheme again, switching to an attacking option, but the game left a big disappointment. First, without Alexander Sobolev, there was little realization. Second, Nizhny Novgorod created a few dangerous chances at Selikhov's goal. At the same time, Volzhans are the worst team in terms of attacking play in RPL. Sobolev's suspension was a big problem for Spartak. Against a packed and organised defence, it's more difficult to find scoring chances. At the same time, Spartak remain by far the leader in terms of the amount of danger created near others' goals. The club has the most significant difference between goals and chances. Spartak are objectively 5-6 goals shorthanded. In other words, a breakthrough in the last round is quite possible, based on the dry numbers. Krylya Sovetov were one of the worst teams in 2023. They could have sealed the matter of survival against Fakel, but suffered a disappointing defeat. Voronezh objectively looked stronger. Krylia again failed to produce the necessary result from Vladimir Pisarsky. There were also difficulties in defence. The club went into the final stretch without their starting goalkeeper Ivan Lomaev. The goalkeeper is important not only as a player in the last corner, but also as a player with a quality first pass. Krylya Sovetov have no statistical indicators at the level of the Russian league outsiders. There's an objective problem with defensive bad luck. The team conceded four or five more goals than they should have. Luckily for Samara, apart from Lomaev, there are no serious losses. Only midfielder Jakuba will not play. Spartak's Umyarov will miss the match due to injury. The bookmakers are surprised with the odds. Spartak are even slight outsiders in the meeting. In the first round, though, the Red and White defeated their opponent, although Krylia had a much stronger squad. The Muscovites are motivated and have a quality attack, despite the absence of Sobolev. Another important factor is Krylia's style of play. The team doesn't shut down big-time, as outsiders do. That means that Spartak will get chances in space.