Zenit – Krasnodar

The national champion will clinch the Russian Super Cup in regulation time

The past season in Russian football ended under the sign of Zenit St. Petersburg. It cannot be said that the club from St Petersburg was a dominant force in the national tournaments, but in the end Semak's wards won the "golden double". Krasnodar led the standings for most of the 2023/2024 season and even became the "winter champion". Another thing is that the Bulls were not enough for the entire championship, and the starting failures in the spring even led to the replacement of the head coach with an old acquaintance of Krasnodar fans - Murad Musayev. In both the opening match of the new football season in Russia and the final confrontation of the past year, bookmakers chose the St. Petersburg team as the favourite, offering odds of 1.79 on its victory. Zenit stalled for a very long time in the first half of the last championship, often losing points, and seriously lagged behind the leader. After making a breakthrough in the spring part of the season and breaking into first place, Semak's men started to mope again. A whole series of misfires did not end disastrously for the team only because Krasnodar fell into a similar "black streak". Zenit decided the fate of the championship title in their favour only in the end of the final round, having managed to score a golden goal ten minutes before the whistle for the end of the meeting with Rostov. The Russian Cup Super Final was no less dramatic for Zenit, which ended with their victory a minute before the end of the second half. During the summer transfer period, Zenit was replenished with mostly Russian players. Volkov, Latyshonok, and Glushenkov joined the ranks of the champions, diluting the team's Brazilian legion. Krasnodar, having become vice-champions of the country in the last round and having unwillingly allowed Zenit to displace Dinamo Moscow from the first place, lost more than gained in the summer period. Judging by the last friendly against Rostov, the sale of Safonov could turn into big problems for the Bulls, as Agkatsev brought two goals into his own net. Volkov, who left for Zenit, has yet to be replaced, while only Smolov and Kozlov have been added. Additional problems for Krasnodar will be caused by the participation in the late stages of the America's Cup of Córdoba and Castaño, and the absence of Alonso and Olasa in preparation for the season. Most likely, Zenit will be better prepared for the match for the Super Cup of Russia.