Russian football: can leaders Rubin bounce back?

Lokomotiv’s league tie with Zenit has been postponed to give the St Pete side time to prepare for the UEFA Cup Final. That leaves Dynamo’s clash with Krylya Sovetov as the most eye-catching in the Russian Premier League on week 9.

FC Moscow v Rubin

Rubin, who seemed to be absolutely unstoppable before their game with Spartak Moscow, travel to FC Moscow.

Their game at the weekend with the Red-Whites was evenly matched. But some serious defensive mistakes led the side to a shameful defeat. It also proved that Rubin are far from being a perfect side.

FC Moscow won their first game of the season last week.  But Coach Oleg Blokhin might start breathing a bit easier if they can continue that winning run against Rubin.

The Muscovites though still need to get their playing style sorted out as they lack creativity.

Spartak v Shinnik

Following a victory in Kazan, Spartak are back to winning ways.

The Premier League’s leading scorer Velliton will try to bring another victory for the Red-Whites, while Shinnik’s Denis Boyarintsev, who came from Spartak during the winter break, will attempt to ruin the his former team’s party.

Dynamo v Krlya Sovetov

After a perfect start, Dyanmo have lost their way, going down in their last two games.

Their perfomance last weekend was poor, with the Blue-Whites creating few scoring opportunities.

They struggled to maintain possession throughout the game, and two late Shinnik goals finished them off.

Krylya Sovetov on the other hand are very much in-form. Their home game against Amkar showed they've managed to blend their new signings into a decent team.

However, the side often lacks confidence in away games and playing Dynamo is a serious test for Leonid Slutsky's men.

Amkar v Saturn

Saturn begins every season full of promise but year after year their predictions of greatness don't quite seem to become reality.

The Moscow Region side are 10th in the table and trail to the top side Rubin by 12 points.

Their star – striker Marko Topic – has been keeping up his end of the bargain, scoring twice last time out against Khimki.

But a late Khimki's equalizer left Saturn fans disappointed again.

Amkar started the season well and are currently fifth in the table.

The change of coach over the winter hasn't affected the side and their strong defensive football is still proving useful.

Elsewhere, CSKA make a trip to Sibiria to face FC Tom, Nalchik pay a visit to Vladivostok, while Khimki host Terek.

The game between Zenit and Lokomotiv will now be played in July after Euro-2008.