CSKA – Baltika

The Premier League season opener will bring at least two goals

The fate of the rivals in the opening match of the next edition of the Russian Premier League last season unfolded in a similar way. CSKA spent the first half of the previous season at a very high level. At the winter break, the army team went into the group of league leaders. Fans literally carried Fabio Celestini on their shoulders, and the transfer window allowed the Moscow club to make a number of advantageous deals. As a result, CSKA not only failed to contend for the championship, but also had to endure a few embarrassing months. Shortly before the season ended, CSKA dismissed Celestini and appointed Dmitry Igdisamov as interim manager. Under the guidance of the 40-year-old specialist, CSKA had a full pre-season. There were no significant changes to the squad. No player joined the CSKA squad, but the reason for that is the already deep depth of the club. The core of CSKA's squad was kept intact, and Seku Koita's move to Turkey will, by no means, affect anything. In the off-season, the army team played six friendly matches, losing three and drawing three. Not a single match ended with the team keeping a clean sheet. Baltika became the real revelation of the last championship. Moreover, the dynamics of the team's form under Andrey Talalaev turned out to be identical to that of the upcoming opponent. Baltika's first half of the season went through practically without defeats and with the fewest goals conceded among all Premier League clubs. The real difficulties Baltika faced occurred in the last ten rounds of the championship. At the start of April the team stopped winning, and by the end of the month began to lose, finishing the season with a four-match losing streak. The reasons for the drop in form were varied. Some players, like Kevin Andrade, were already packing their bags. Some players became uninterested in giving their maximum, due to losing chances to finish in the Russian championship's Top 3. The friendly matches in the off-season show that Baltika has gathered and rested well ahead of the new season. Almost all of the team's matches were won. Bookmakers expect a low-scoring match, but the current state of affairs in the teams' camp promises an entertaining game.