CSKA – Dynamo M

Dynamo has equal chances to win the game with CSKA

On Saturday, 25 November, CSKA will play at home against Dynamo. This is a meeting of direct rivals in the fight for medals. The teams have 25 points each and already share third place in the standings. The winner will lead the chase for the top two. CSKA by the quality of play in the current season has distanced itself from the sample of last season. The Army men have draws in almost half of their matches. This result can be explained quite simply. If before Vladimir Fedotov's team could count on a quality defence, now there is no such hope. The exception was the meeting with Krasnodar, but at the same time the context suggests otherwise. There, CSKA also allowed their opponents to hit many shots on goal. The RPL leader lacked luck. CSKA has only the eleventh defence in terms of quality in the Russian championship, if you look at XG. At the same time, coach Fedotov always builds football from defence, the scheme with three players behind does not change. Injuries to both field players and Akinfeev provoked instability. From the first minutes, the coach is forced to release veteran Nababakin, who clearly lacks speed and nominal supporting midfielder Zdelar. The Serbian's size is a disadvantage. CSKA couldn't even beat Fakel with class. Dinamo had a bright streak: no defeats for a long time, a playoff appearance in the Russian Cup, seven points in three games and a surge to third place. Now the club has a very serious core of foreigners. Chavez, Laxalt and Bitello form a solid link in the centre of the pitch. Tyukavin started scoring again. In defence, legionnaires Fernandez and Balbuena have felt a connection. An added bonus is the quality play of goalkeeper Leshchuk. According to advanced statistics, the goalkeeper is the best in the RPL. Dinamo's main problem has been the quality of defence, but the stats are gradually improving. If we take XG from the first of October, the club is one of the top five in the Russian championship. There are no defeats since 23 September, but even there the game with Spartak did not turn out to be fair. The team created a lot of chances and didn't score. Bookmakers for some mysterious reason give CSKA as the favourite. The Army Men have no advantage over Dynamo. The white-blue attack will be a big problem for CSKA. The odds are at least even. Dynamo is in great shape, and the two teams' penchant for peaceful outcomes favours a high probability of a draw in this match. The match of the first round is also important. Then Dinamo did not have such stability, but won with the score 2:1. In the summer, they won two friendly matches. CSKA's last confident success in this derby dates back to 2020.