CSKA victory
CSKA is one of the best teams in the autumn part of the championship. In terms of the expected number of goals scored (xg = 1.66) and conceded (xga = 0.96), it ranks 5th and 2nd respectively. However, due to a combination of various circumstances, the “soldiers” are ranked only 5th in the table.
During the break between seasons, they played 8 friendly matches, losing only in the last meeting with Rubin (0:2).
In the group stage of the Russian Cup, CSKA took 2nd place, losing the lead to the Urals.
Krasnodar lost the first round of the championship, scoring only 25 points. With a good attack (xg = 1.35), the “bulls” were unable to organize a competitive defense game (xga = 1.9 – second to last place).
The disastrous performance of the team contributed to personnel changes. Serbian tactician Vladimir Ivic was hired to replace the retired Aleksander Storozuk. Under his leadership, the club played only 4 friendly matches, which is definitely not enough in the current situation.
The task facing Ivic is not easy – the team must achieve results by playing attacking football. Too little time has passed to achieve this goal. I expect more mistakes from Krasnodar both in attack and defense.