CSKA and Zenit look to regroup in Russia
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Russian Premier League leaders CSKA Moscow will need to switch their focus back on to domestic action on Saturday when they face Rostov just days after losing to Sporting CP in a UEFA Champions League play-off tie. The Red Army side, who lost 2-1 in the Portuguese capital, top the domestic league after bagging maximum points from the first five matches. They are three points clear of reigning champions Zenit St Petersburg.
"It's a pity that we lost the game (against Sporting)," CSKA manager Leonid Slutsky said. "But this result still gives us a fair chance to advance on aggregate." Now we need to focus on the match with Rostov. I expect a difficult match on Saturday as Rostov appear to be a well-organised team this season."
Zenit, who suffered their first defeat of the season in a 2-0 loss to last season's third-placed side FC Krasnodar, are looking to bounce back when they meet two-time former champions Rubin Kazan on Monday. The Saint Petersburg outfit's head coach Andre Villas-Boas took full responsibility for his team's defeat on their home turf a week ago, adding that he was hoping to put things right quickly.
"We had problems with everything. Our football, our style didn't work. This situation is my responsibility," the former Porto, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager said. "But I hope that we can improve the situation quickly. Rubin have never been an easy opponent and the visit to Kazan is always tough for any club. But I trust in my players and their professionalism."
Meanwhile, Rubin, who chalked up their first win of the season by defeating Kuban Krasnodar 1-0, are out to make it two wins in a row. Rubin failed to hold on to a lead in Thursday's UEFA Europa League match with Macedonian side Rabotnicki, which ended a 1-1 draw, and head coach Rinat Bilyaletdinov said he was asking his players to make sure they keep their concentration until the final whistle.
We worked hard all week long and I hope we've learned from our mistakes.
Igor Cherevchenko, Lokomotiv Moscow manager.
"Unfortunately in recent matches it has become our hallmark to concede a goal in the last few minutes, especially after corners," he said. "We desperately need to get over this problem as soon as possible. The match with Zenit is a perfect chance to do that."
Lokomotiv Moscow, who are four points behind leaders CSKA in third, are hoping to pick up all three points in Sunday's clash at lowly Ufa after a lacklustre performance in the last week's goalless home draw with Terek Grozny.
"Last week we created too few chances and lost two points in the match with Terek," the railway-backed side's head coach Igor Cherevchenko said. "We worked hard all week long and I hope we've learned from our mistakes. The upcoming game will show whether we've done everything right."
But Ufa, who also recorded their season's first win 1-0 at Saransk on Monday, have promised to put up a stiff fight against the two-time former champions on their home turf.
"This season our home venue got the nod of approval from the league and we've finally got the right to play in front of our home crowd," Ufa manager Igor Kolyvanov said. "Hopefully, it will give us extra strength to show our best football against Lokomotiv."