Ural Ekatrinburg are the latest visitors to the Krestovsky, and are on their longest losing streak all season after a promising start had lifted them up to the unlikely heights of fourth just five weeks ago. They had held the Russian Football Premier League’s only remaining unbeaten home record until former loanee Fyodor Smolov tapped home the only goal of the game last weekend in a chilly Ekaterinburg.
Season So Far
Only two away wins - both of which were sealed in the last five minutes - have seen them struggle on the road, and despite their impressive home record they have struggled to put away sides. Only two clean sheets at home have seen some frustrating dropped points too, and with three consecutive defeats there is a real danger of entering the winter break with an alarming drop in form. Last season’s Russian Cup final appearance was a major milestone but also a tantalising prospect missed, and now the danger is that they will slide closer to a relegation battle as opposed to challenging for Europe.
Manager
Alexander Tarkhanov is an immensely popular figure at the club having overseen a dramatic escape from relegation three seasons ago in a campaign that also saw his midas touch revive the meandering career of the RFPL’s current joint-top goalscorer Smolov. His system of 4-2-3-1 is not especially imaginative, but it plays to the strengths of a squad that contains very little in the way of out-and-out firepower up front.
Players to Watch
Eric Bicfalvi is the star name in a relatively low-key squad. The Romanian playmaker is top scorer with five goals so far this league campaign and he has shown maturity to play in a deeper role in recent weeks to cover for injuries to Roman Emelyanov and Artem Fidler. Petrus Boumal has been a revelation in front of the defence, while Nikolai Dimitrov is a real threat cutting in from the right wing onto his deadly left foot.
Team News
Slovenian international centre back Gregor Balazic is out having picked up a heavy knock just minutes into the 1-0 defeat to Krasnodar, meaning Armenian Varazdat Haroyan will partner on-loan CSKA youngster Nikita Chernov in central defence. Vladimir Khozin has been out for months, while Artem Fidler is struggling with match fitness. Alexander Pavlenko is also unavailable.
Prospects
Realistically, Ural have little hope of aiming for a full three points - despite Zenit’s own serious dip in form - but the issue is that Tarkhanov rarely goes for a conservative approach. For all the criticism of Zenit’s recent form, Ural know that they face possibly the most lavish attacking riches and will be cautious. A draw would be a fantastic result for Ural, but in all honesty it would itself be a major shock.
Thanks to Andrew and all the guys from RFN for their insight as always!
";s:4:"TYPE";s:4:"HTML";}