Dynamo Makhachkala – Sochi

Sochi is capable of winning the first match in Makhachkala.

On Sunday, 28th September, Makhachkala's Dynamo will play against Sochi at home. Both teams were initially considered outsiders in the Russian championship. Ahead of the tenth round, the clubs are surprisingly separated by as many as eight points. Sochi has lost eight out of nine matches – the worst start in the history of Russian championships. There have been radical changes for the southerners. Igor Osinkin has taken over the team, but so far under him: three matches – three defeats. Sochi has consecutively lost to Krylia, Dynamo, and CSKA. At the same time, the match against the army team provided hope for a positive comeback. The Sochi team even took the lead, and two of the three goals conceded were from penalties. Sochi currently has a very capable squad. Anton Zinkovsky has hit his best form in several years, and experienced players are in defence: Alexander Soldatenkov and Sergey Volkov were recently part of the Russian national team, while Yuri Dupin won the Russian championship last season with Krasnodar. By names, Sochi's squad is certainly stronger than Makhachkala's Dynamo. The southerners have surprised in the RPL for the second season in a row. The team has one of the smallest budgets, but an extraordinarily competent transfer campaign and well-structured play. However, this season, the focus has definitely shifted to home ground – Dynamo has truly become a home club. The southerners have not lost away in only one match and have no victories. In the last two home matches, Dynamo stopped their Moscow counterparts and Lokomotiv. The white-blue managed to win 1:0 against the former, while they salvaged a draw against the railwaymen. However, in the final minutes against Lokomotiv, an error from the main referee helped. Another reason for concern regarding Dynamo is the departure of Valentin Paltsev. The Russian was not only the best central defender in the team but also a leader. Without him, the quality of defence is likely to drop. There are very interesting odds for this match from bookmakers: Sochi is rated too low – evaluated at 4.10 in the line. This setup somewhat correlates with the actual balance of power. Sochi will definitely come out with increased motivation. A defeat here would practically seal their fate. The chance of salvaging just one point after ten rounds is very low. Sochi has quite a few skilled players and a deep bench, the footballers will come out to fight. Dynamo has difficulties in defence, and it will be challenging to press and play as the first team. It is not excluded that the hosts will easily agree to a draw and will not take risks. A game that promises to be at least equal can be expected. Sochi is no longer hopeless – CSKA felt this themselves. It's unlikely that the rivals will score much – totals usually do not cover in Makhachkala.