BILYALETDINOV: 40 THOUSAND PEOPLE FOR FRIENDLIES

The midfielder of Everton and the Russian national team Diniyar Bilyaletdinov commented on the preparation for the season in England.


"I am happy with my holidays," said the player. "It was very good, I have rested wonderfully."

"And then I turned to work with new strength leaving for Australia at first. Such a tour was very interesting. Of course in Australia there is no such big interest to football as for example to rugby but people welcomed us."

"Moreover in Everton plays the best footballer of the Green continent – Tim Cahill. That caused that for the friendly matches we gathered about forty thousand people."

"Moreover there were many additional events and meetings with our supporters. It turned out that there is our fan club founded in 2002 that include a lot of people. So the frenzy was surprisingly great."

"We won all three trial matches and of course any victory improves one’s mood. Though obviously these victories were of no key importance."

"Out of the participants of the World Cup only Cahill is with us. All others have joined the team only today and finalist Heitinga is still having rest."

"It was my first visit to Australia. And it is a very interesting country and there are many things one should see there. Firstly it is their nature that people treat reverently. Especially well I remember exotic animals. Secondly these are achievements of civilization in particular wide range of sports objects."


... but nothing matches the thrill and challenge of having money on the line!

SPARTAK VS. RUBIN SHOWDOWN HIGHLIGHT OF WEEK 13 IN RPL

As play heads into week thirteen of the Rosgosstrakh Championship of Russia, Zenit Saint Petersburg is quickly running away from the pack and on the verge of turning the race for a charge for second place. However, this weekend the key match is unquestionably Rubin Kazan’s visit to the capital to face Spartak, with the Krasno-belye’s season slowly slipping away.


Saturday

Zenit St Petersburg - Sibir Novosibirsk

The Petrovsky faithful welcome their heroes after their complete domination of Alaniya Vladikavkaz last week. Though Zenit has went through a long period of adaptation to manager Luciano Spalletti's system, against Alaniya they finally found their top gear and were unstoppable. With Serbian international Danko Lazović back in the fold the pace of the Zenit attack is capable of overrunning the competition and its difficult to foresee a stumble.

Sibir manager Igor Kriushenko has seen his side show a superb fighting spirit in their fight to avoid relegation, typified by last weeks 2-2 draw against Dynamo. Lead by veteran sniper Aleksey Medvedev and some impressive play by Aleksandr Antipenko, Sibir has shown a good counter attacking impetus but against Zenit, they will look to button down the proceedings with a compact defending approach though they will be without Dmitriy Molosh due to suspension.

Dynamo Moscow - Rostov

The White-Blues welcome Rostov to Arena Khimki after last weeks highly disappointing draw with Sibir. Manager Miodrag Božović waits for the arrival of new signings Kevin Kurányi and Marko Lomić but still there are many unanswered questions of his sides extraordinary under performance. Dynamo is rife with talent, including brilliant young striker Alexandr Kokorin, but are playing without confidence.

On the opposite end of the perspective is Rostov who shocked Spartak Moscow last week with a 1-0 victory. Rostov manager Oleg Protasov deployed an air tight tactical play that frustrated the Krasno-belye. Riding a two-match winning streak, Rostov enjoys a lofty position at fifth in the table and though they will be without Alexandru Gaţcan, due to suspension, are playing with confidence and discipline.

Spartak Moscow - Rubin Kazan

Spartak Moscow is in dire need of a win as they welcome defending champion Rubin Kazan to the capital. After consecutive losses to Alaniya Vladikavkaz and Rostov in league play, Spartak had to work hard to get past Metallurg Lipetsk midweek in the Russian Cup. With pressure building on Krasno-belye manager Valeriy Karpin needs his side to play to their promise but of late, intensity has been lacking. Spartak has seen Ivan Saenko and Sergey Parshivlyuk standout but otherwise the attack is lacking. Nikita Bazhenov looked promising in his return in the Russian Cup and could jump into the starting grid as Welliton after being carried off with an injury.

Kurban Berdyev’s Rubin Kazan responded from their modest performances of the first half of the campaign with a solid victory over Krylya Sovetov last week. With Alan Kasaev, Evgeniy Balyaykin and Gökdeniz Karadeniz back in the line-up, Rubin's attack picked up pace but the defending champion will need to reverse their recent trend of faltering against Spartak in the capital.

Sunday

Tom Tomsk - Anzhi Makhachkala

On Sunday, the action starts with Tom Tomsk welcoming Anzhi Makhachkala to Siberia after last week’s late loss to Amkar Perm. Valeriy Nepomnyaschy’s side have had issues at home but he kept much of his normal starting line-up out of the Russian Cup match against Krasnodar and they should be well rested. He will however be without Andrey Ivanov, who is suspended due to card build-up.

Without a win since week five, Anzhi is within two points of the drop zone and finding their once promising attack with Jan Holenda. Former CSKA Sofia man Todor Timonov scored twice in their mid-week Russian Cup over Pskov-747 Pskov and could easily find himself in Gadzhi Gadzhiev's starting eleven.

Terek Grozny - Amkar Perm

Grozny opened the second half of the campaign with a lethargic loss to Spartak Nalchik. With the services of playmaker Blagoy Georgiev, Anatoliy Baidachny’s side lacked the same attacking vision and it is difficult to see where that will come from in his absence.

Rashid Rakhimov Amkar Perm shocked Tom Tomsk last week as Alexandr Kolomeytsev scored his first goal in the top flight of Russian football as time wound down. Amkar continues to fight their way from relegation with a resourceful approach, though they are short on the attacking end. The Amkar tactician is Mitar Novaković due to suspension.

Lokomotiv Moscow - Alaniya Vladikavkaz

Despite lacking in the striking department, Yuriy Semin has quietly squeezed his side to sixth place and looking very capable of a run towards a spot in Europe. The Railwayman welcomed Wágner and Rodolfo back in last weeks win against Anzhi and with Marko Baša returning the Russian Cup, they appear primed for a run towards the finish. Lokomotiv is without Tomislav Dujmović due to suspension.

Alaniya gets back into action after Zenit ran them off the pitch last week. With only one win away from home this year, Vladimir Shevchuk's forces face a tough test in the Lokomotiv fortress. Alaniya's efforts will be without Valeriy Tskhovrebov who is suspended.

Monday

Krylya Sovetov - CSKA Moscow

CSKA head to Samara to face relegation threatened Krylya Sovetov. After being held to a disappointing draw against Saturn, Leonid Slutsky's side got past Torpedo Moscow in the Russian Cup with Guilherme scoring twice. Deividas Semberas is unavailable due to suspension and the CSKA tactician has a series of unusual line-up choices to make with Miloš Krasić seemingly on his way out but has been sub-par recently. Many questions remain around the Army-Men camp as they must deal with the arrivals of Zoran Tošić and Seydou Doumbia along with the surprising return of Vágner Love.

Yuriy Gazzaev's side is in the midst of the three-match losing streak and will need to bolt down this contest. Surrendering twenty-one goals, the Samaran's are one of the worst defending units in the league and need play with more disciplined defending if they are to survive in the top flight.

Saturn Moskovskaya Oblast - Spartak Nalchik

Andrey Gordeev's Ramenskoe based side shocked CSKA last week with a hard fought draw in their effort to avoid relegation. Following the match Army-Men manager Leonid Slutsky noted Saturn is far above their bottom of the table placing. Despite some compliments, Saturn needs to score and without Dmitriy Loskov who was not resigned. Saturn needed a penalty shoot-out to get past Sakhalin Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in the Russian Cup but should be well rested by Monday.

Yuriy Krasnozhan's Nalchik confidently dispatched Terek Grozny last week but they are without Gogita Gogua and Miodrag Džudović, both under suspension. Sitting fourth in the table, if they are to make a run for a European spot, this it the type of contest they need full points from.

Prepared by John Davies

... but nothing matches the thrill and challenge of having money on the line!

KARPIN: VICTORIES ALWAYS HELP RAISE SPIRITS

The head coach of Spartak Valeriy Karpin shows optimism before the must-win game against Rubin this weekend.


After the break in the Russian Premier League Spartak had two matches – one it sensationally lost to Rostov and then outplayed Metallurg Lipetsk in the Russian Cup.

"Out of the two matches I liked the one in Rostov-na-Donu best," said Karpin. "Despite the loss there were more movements and idea there."

"Probably that is because on Friday we entered the filed at nine in the evening – in the heat but not in the full blaze of sun. And in Lipetsk we played at 7 p.m. exactly in a sunny spot."

"I liked the way the players performed in the match of the Russian Cup. Not all of them have chances to appear in the starting eleven often. But all of them tried their best."

"The mood of the team improved a bit after the victory in Lipetsk: any victory helps no matter who your opponent is."

"But how effective was this medicine we will see on Saturday. Moreover the players were dejected with the result but not with the feeling that somebody did something wrong. The guys did their best but failed to achieve result."

"Any coach should be ready to such state of affairs when he is about to be sacked and supporters are indignant. You simply live with this – it is a specific feature of my job."

"As for the reaction of the stands I take it for granted: if people are not satisfied with the results you always get criticized. This is typical all worldwide: the greater the status of a club the stronger the views of supporters are."


... but nothing matches the thrill and challenge of having money on the line!

PROTASOV EYES CLASH WITH DYNAMO

The head coach of Rostov Oleg Protasov eyes the start of the RPL after the summer break.


"I do not want to make big conclusions after two good matches," said Protasov meaning victories over Spartak Moscow and Salyut Belgorod.

"Though of course we did our best during the summer break: worked on physique, played good sparrings. And now it is important not to slow down the pace."

"Our next opponent is Dynamo – a strong team with very good midfield: Khokhlov, Semshov, Samedov. Moreover they have a new head coach and I think he will rush his team forward."

WELLITON TO MISS THE MATCH AGAINST RUBIN

The 23-year old forward of Spartak Moscow Welliton will not take part in the coming match of the Russian Championship against Rubin.


The striker has undergone the medical yesterday concerning the leg injury he acquired in the match of the Russian Cup Round of 32 against Metallurg Lipetsk.

"The Brazilian has the injury of ankle ligaments," commented the head coach of the Red-Whites Valeriy Karpin. "And he cannot appear on the pitch these weekends if there is no miracle."

... but nothing matches the thrill and challenge of having money on the line!

GAZPROMNEFT TO SPONSOR CRVENA ZVEZDA

Yesterday the Serbian mass media announced that Gazprom, main owner of Zenit, namely its biggest subsidiary Gazpromneft, became a sponsor of one of the leading clubs of the Balkan country Crvena Zvezda.


"It is true that Gazpromneft signed a five-year contract about the general sponsorship with one of the leading Serbian clubs," said the CEO of Gazpromneft and President of FC Zenit Alexandr Dyukov.

"Crvena Zvezda is obviously the most popular team in its country and in other teams of former Yugoslavia."

"Why we chose Serbia? It is quite clear. Last year Gazpromneft bought the majority stake of the company Naftna Industrija Srbije and became the biggest investor in this country at the moment. We think that being sponsor of such a famous club as Crvena Zvezda will be very effective while promoting our brands in the region."

"Moreover one should not forget that Gazprom is carrying out the project South Stream in the region and Serbia plays important part in it."
... but nothing matches the thrill and challenge of having money on the line!

NALCHIK LOOKS TO REGAIN WINNING STRIDE AGAINST GROZNY

With the extended break for the World Cup nearing an end, the Rosgosstrakh Championship of Russia kicks back into gear with Terek Grozny visiting the Caucasus' to face Spartak Nalchik.

The start of the campaign saw Nalchik storm forward unbeaten in their opening eight matches before Yuri Krasnozhan's side stumbled in the final three confidence. Up until week eight, Nalchik played with confidence and discipline but against Zenit Saint Petersburg, they came undone and gave up three goals in the final half-hour.

The collapse against seemed to trigger a change of fortune for Nalchik as they were unconvincing against Lokomotiv and Tom Tomsk in subsequent contests and lacked confidence. Sitting fourth in the table, Yuri Krasnozhan must reinvigorate his side to show the same tireless defending that gutted out results and unlock the attacking front, led by Vladimir Dyadyun, which lost their touch late.

The Chechnya based side, though tenth in the table are in a state of transition and quickly amassing quality players. Anatoly Baidachny's side, led going forward with play maker Blagoy Georgiev and striking tandem Shamil Asildarov and Héctor Bracamonte have yet to hit full stride but very capable of a run towards a spot in Europe.

Maurício, who joined from Brazil's Fluminense this past winter and Bolivian international Juan Carlos Arce provide plenty of pace and inspiration as Grozny looks to hone its attack that, at least in theory, is a consistent threat. Grozny is hampered against Nalchik, as they are without the services of key man Blagoy Georgiev to injury as well Sergey Omelyanchuk to suspension and facing a side that has yet to lose at home this year.


Prepared by John Davies

... but nothing matches the thrill and challenge of having money on the line!