Spartak M – Orenburg

The hosts won't be able to beat their opponents without conceding a goal.

General Director of Moscow Spartak Sergei Nekrasov recently spoke about the ambitions of the 'people's team' for the current season. According to one of the club's officials, it would be foolish after winning the Russian Cup not to set the goal of winning the country's championship. Moreover, the resources and quality of play are present among the 'red-and-whites'. As Nekrasov correctly noted, achieving this goal is not guaranteed for Spartak. However, the capital team is doing everything right. This concerns both transfer market work and the use of long-standing resources. In the first case, one should speak about the acquisition of Mirlind Daku from Rubin Kazan. Juan Carcedo tries to fit the Albanian into tactical schemes unfamiliar to him, but Daku is not bothered. Indeed, as well as the need to come on as a substitute and prove his right to a place in the squad. Otherwise, Carcedo is working with the same lineup he inherited from Dejan Stankovic. The previous round of the Premier League showed that Spartak is on the right track and with the right specialist at the helm. A win over Zenit St. Petersburg is unusual for the 'red-and-whites'. A two-goal win with confidence in their eyes is an even rarer event. Spartak has cemented second place in the championship and now trails only its sole nemesis this season - Krasnodar. The upcoming opponent for Spartak is both simple and dangerous for them. On the one hand, the 'red-and-whites' have already defeated Orenburg on their home ground this season, scoring five goals past them. On the other hand, this is about the national cup, where experiments with the lineup in the group stage are the norm even for not the most forward-looking Premier League clubs. And Orenburg has proven its professional viability. After the aforementioned confusion, the former Gazovik delivered a four-match unbeaten run. Among the teams that failed to collect points directly in the championship were Rubin, Lokomotiv Moscow, and Fakel. Moreover, Orenburg played at home only against Lokomotiv Moscow and did not beat them only because of the outstanding performance in goal by Ilya Lantratov. It is worth betting that the Orenburg players will show character in Moscow and leave there, at least, with a goal.